What’s going on at Fawley?
See Reuters article
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Fawley refinery incident caused by 'collapse of structure', union says
Jose Ramos - Yesterday 06:01
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/fawley-refinery-incident-caused-by-collapse-of-structure-union-says
THE PARTIAL collapse of a structure was behind the operational incident at Fawley refinery, the GMB union has claimed.
Large flares lit up the skies on Tuesday evening after a structure used to produce petrol partially collapsed, the union says.
Residents said the flare glow resembled “a large sunset” over the skies above Fawley.
The GMB, which represents workers at the Fawley Oil Refinery, said the oil firm was forced to isolate a unit after an incident in the Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU), which led to gas flaring.
The FFCU is a piece of refining equipment used to convert crude oil into lighter petroleum products, which includes liquified petroleum gas and gasoline.
In a statement, Bryan Hulley, Regional Organiser of GMB, said: “The workings of an oil refinery are very complex however, as I understand it, this incident occurred on the Catalytic Cracking Unit, which is widely known by workers at the site to be integral to the production of petrol.
“Our members who are due to take strike action work as pipe fitters, boilermakers, welders, mechanical fitters, laggers and scaffolders and so it is their job to repair this type of equipment.
“It is highly likely therefore that production could be affected.”
However, ExxonMobil has rejected the claim saying the site remains operational and there is no impact on fuel supply to customers.
A spokesman for the oil firm said: “We identified an issue on one of our units at around 4.40pm on Tuesday.
“Our own onsite teams safely and effectively addressed the matter, isolating the unit from operation.
“There were no injuries and there was no fire.
“We will now work to assess the steps required to bring the unit back into operation.”
It added that flaring is a controlled mechanism to safely manage excess gas while units are being isolated.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-63594391
Fawley is going on stike.
It wasn't an operational matter, confirmed that it was an incident.
Lol nice.
https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/23110993.large-flares-fawley-refinery-visible-isle-wight/
It is an operational matter. Nothing to be concerned about.