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| Down Under |
| Australian bomb squad evacuate Oil Refinery |
| 2005-07-28 |
| EXPLOSIVES experts are combing a major Brisbane oil refinery after a bomb threat today forced the evacuation of 700 employees from the plant. The Port of Brisbane precinct came to a standstill after an emergency was declared, shutting down airspace above the refinery and blocking train lines and nearby roads. Staff from the Lytton refinery and its adjacent terminal – including the Australian Lubricants Manufacturing Company facility – were evacuated at 10.30am, and sent home just before 1pm. The bomb squad moved in and just after 1.30pm declared the most volatile areas of the refinery safe. Acting Inspector Duncan Campbell said the bomb squad was now focusing its efforts on the oil tankers and storage facilities. Caltex Australia refining general manager Eion Turnbull said a few essential operators had been housed in a secure area on site to keep the facility operational. Two firefighting units, ambulance and police are on standby at the scene. Police said an emergency situation had been declared at the refinery, including an exclusion zone encompassing the whole site, although residents living near the refinery had not been told to evacuate. A full air exclusion zone was put in place over the refinery, police spokeswoman Kim McCoomb said.She said police had "declared an emergency situation under the Public Safety Preservation Act which gives us the power to put in place exclusion zones which we have done. "Part of the Brisbane river has been closed to water traffic. Part of the rail network has also been closed down and we have also asked for a full air exclusion zone over the refinery." Mr Turnbull said operations at the refinery had not been affected, but truck access to the terminal had been suspended. He said the fuel supply was not at risk. The Lytton refinery was commissioned in 1965 and with a crude oil throughput of 16.8 million litres per day is the largest petroleum fuels refinery in Queensland state and fifth-largest fuels refinery in Australia. On average, production at the Lytton refinery is comprised of 45 percent petrol, 35 percent diesel, 13 percent jet fuel, 2 percent fuel oil and 5 percent LPG and other gases. |
| Posted by:Spavirt Pheng6042 |