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Wednesday, November 15, 1973
TOUR OF OIL AFFECTED AREAS
By Members Of Commission Of Inquiry
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The Commission of Inquiry into the recent oil leakage at Aplichau went on a preliminary inspection tour of the oil affected areas this
morning.
The members took the chance to familiarise themselves with the
problem and to ascertain the course of their inquiry.
Mr. W.S. Collier, District Judge (Chairman), and Professor S. Mackey (Member), were accompanied on the tour by an officer of the Marine Department and Mr. M. Williams of Shell Company who explained the measures
taken to cope with the escaped oil.
They were first taken by a launch to Picnic Bay where oil booms
were rigged round marine fish breeding cages by the shore.
The party then went to St. George's Bay where oil slicks and emulsified oil could still be seen along the coast, although it appeared that the oil patches had cleared up considerably.
Government launches and hired boats could be seen in these places
and off Aplichau applying emulsifiers or using water jets to disperse emulsified
oil.
At Aplichau, the two members of the Commission inspected the
fracture in No. 7 storage tank from which the oil leaked out.
They were shown round by Shell's Operations Manager, Mr. W. Jervis,
and an inspector of the company, Mr. K. Bradbourne. They were also briefed
on structural aspects of the tank, the circumstances of the oil leakage and
subsequent action.
Note to Editora:
Copies of a photograph taken during the tour of the Shell Oil Installation at Aplichau will be distributed separately in G.I.S. press boxes this evening.
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