SOL PETROLEUM CAYMAN LIMITED (Sol) would like to update the public in regard to its previous confirmation of a fire that occurred on an upper internal support ring, on a diesel tank at the Jackson Point Terminal. The incident was reported at approximately 4.45 pm on 23 July 2017 and was effectively contained by the Emergency Response Teams with the “all clear” issued at 2.45 AM on July 24, 2017. The fire had no direct contact with the product in the tank which was at a much lower level. Sol and the Royal Cayman Islands Fire Service responded promptly to confine the incident which prevented its further escalation.
There was no damage to the Terminal and surrounding areas. The area was evacuated as a precautionary measure and the access to South Church Street was closed, both in line with the emergency response plan and with the collaboration of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. Sol’s focus and commitment is to the safety of its employees, contractors and the community, as such, the terminal resumed normal delivery operations on Monday morning, only after safety checks and inspections were completed.
“We realize that this incident has caused anxiety within our community and our immediate neighbours. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused related to this incident and remain committed to the safety of our community, employees and contractors. We want to reassure the Cayman community that there is no disruption to fuel supplies, and deliveries are being made to our customers as normal”, said Alan Neesome, General Manager.
Sol has completed the initial stage of the investigation, which is not conclusive because this process requires an internal physical inspection of the tank which must be fully emptied and ventilated before it can be safely entered; such processes may take several weeks to schedule and execute. The tank is in a safe condition and effectively quarantined. Sol will continue to work closely with the Government Inspectors and agencies industry professionals to determine the root cause of the incident and will share the investigation findings as they become available.
The company has been part of the Grand Cayman and South Church Street community since 1960 when the terminal was first constructed. Since then, Sol has not experienced a Lost Time Incident since February 1994, which means no Sol employee or contractor has missed a minute of work due to a workplace incident since 1994. To achieve this record Sol maintains a robust Health, Safety and Environment policy with an established “Goal Zero” program, meaning zero incidents and no harm to people. Sol promotes a culture in which all Sol employees and contractors share this commitment through on-going industry training and continuous learning. This commitment is proven as our track record in safety is without a major incident of this nature.
Sol sincerely apologises for the inconvenience caused by this incident and commits to reviewing its safety work procedures with employees and contractors to ensure that an incident such as this does not recur.
For any questions, concerns or further information regarding the situation, please access www.solpetroleum.com/jacksonpoint. Sol will publish updates as the information becomes available.
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The Sol Group of companies operates in 22 countries across the Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Bahamas, Cayman, Belize, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Martinique and Guadeloupe. Sol supplies fuels, lubricants, bitumen and LPG through an extensive service station network, with marine, aviation and commercial operations in the Caribbean. For more information, visit www.solpetroleum.com
