Tanker Spill at Private Game Reserve

Tuesday, 26 January 2010 05:58

On 22 January 2010, Spilltech Hazmat Response Team responded to a tanker spill on the freeway 20km outside Hluhluwe, Kwa-Zulu Natal. The driver of the tanker had lost control of the vehicle and headed straight through the barrier.

During this road traffic accident, the trailer disconnected from the horse. The horse was found  ±150m further, in the grounds of a Big Five private game reserve.

BIOZORB, a natural hydrocarbon absorbent

12 000 -15 000 litres of product was lost from ruptured compartments on the tanker. BIOZORB, a natural hydrocarbon absorbent, was placed all round the tanker as well as down into the veld to absorb any free phase product.

A trench was dug parallel to the freeway and also filled with to prevent the product from seeping any further into the game reserve soil.

Fast Tank Method

Although many thousands of litres of the product were lost, there were compartments still intact. The product in these compartments was pumped out using the fast tank method.

Spilltech Still Working at Site

At present, Spilltech is still working closely with a geohydrologist to ensure that everything that can be done to restore the spill site is carried out. The Department of Water and Forestry have visited the site and are pleased with the progress that Spilltech Oil and Chemical Pollution Control are making.

Overturned Refrigeration Truck – Spilltech Responds

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 08:09

On 15 January 2010, Spilltech Spill Response Team responded to an overturned refrigeration vehicle in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal.

The incident had occurred when the driver went round a bend to fast speed, which caused the truck to overturn. The overturned truck was carrying around 40 tons of frozen chicken.

BIOZORB Used for Diesel Spill

Spilltech’s Response Team worked well into the night transferring the load into a second vehicle to clear the site. BIOZORB was also used to absorb the diesel that spilled from the damaged side tank of the truck.

Roof and Sides Collapsed

The vehicle was so badly damaged, that when the tow company attempted to recover it, the roof and sides collapsed and broke off the airline brakes. While this was being attended to, Spilltech stayed on site and broke the trailer into smaller pieces for an easier recovery.

Successful Response

By late that night, Spilltech’s Spill Response Team had successfully transferred 40 tons of product, cleaned up the diesel spill and assisted with the recovery of the damaged vehicle.

Diesel Spill Clean Up in Durban South Africa

Monday, 18 January 2010 04:50

On December 23rd, a truck and tanker had a small collision on the N2 near Edwin Swales Drive in Durban, South Africa. Spilltech responded to the site immediately. The guard pipes protecting the pump systems on the tanker had been damaged, causing a spillage of diesel.

Spill Containment Measures

The response team put containment measures in place and started placing BIOZORB over the free phase product. While this was going on, the mechanic was tightening the bolts on the pump to prevent it from spilling further.

Once all was completed, the contaminated product was scooped up and placed in heavy-duty bags for safe disposal. A team of two Spilltech employees accompanied the tanker to the truck stop in case a second spillage occurred.

Biological Degreaser

While the pump was being repaired, a small amount of diesel spilled. The Spilltech used their standard spill containment protocol to ensure that the spill was contained and then absorbed with BIOZORB. A biological degreaser was then applied to remove the diesel stain. Both sites were cleaned to standard and signed off.

Spilltech Response Team Cleans Up 30 000 tons of Lime on Factory Floor

Tuesday, 15 December 2009 06:36

On a Saturday night, earlier this year a factory was receiving a load of lime. Something went wrong and left 30 000 tons of lime strewn over the factory floor.

Spilltech was contacted and a response team was dispatched immediately to site. The Spilltech response team began bagging the lime. They worked right through the night. Due to the health hazard that lime presents, all team members in the vicinity donned full face masks.

Blocked Off Drains

As a routine measure, all drains in the vicinity of the spill were blocked off in case the lime entered the storm water or effluent. This would cause the pH to be badly affected.

High Pressure Cleaners

Once the area was swept clean, 750 bar as well 250 bar high pressure cleaners were brought onto site to clean the concrete and tar area that had been affected by the lime.

All run off and waste product was disposed of by Spilltech according to standard environmental safety procedures.