Shell Harbor Island terminal spills 6,800 gallons of gasoline

A pump failure at Shell’s Harbor Island Petroleum Terminal in Seattle, US, has resulted in a spill of around 6,800 gallons (26,000 L) of gasoline.

The spill occurred at around 4.45am local time on 1 October 2020. According to the US Coast Guard, the tank feeding the pump that failed had contained 160,749 gallons of gasoline at midnight, and 13,825 gallons of gasoline had been transferred before the pump was secured. Around 6,800 gallons is thought to have spilled, although this has been contained in primary and secondary containment.

The Seattle fire department told local media outlets that it had shut down the area and established a safety perimeter until Shell staff could begin the clean-up operation. No injuries have been reported.

The Coast Guard is monitoring the river and air quality. At present, there is no gasoline in the nearby Duwamish River. The Washington State Department of Ecology said on its Twitter account that there have as yet been no impacts to waterways or wildlife.

The Coast Guard says that it was notified of the spill at around 6am and pollution responders from its Puget Sound Incident Management Division attended the scene to monitor the clean-up. Staff from the Washington State Department of Ecology, Seattle fire and police departments, the Marine Spill Response Corporation, the National Response Corporation Environmental Services, and Shell Pipeline Company also responded.

Source: Tank Storage Magazine