Containment for petroleum products – lessons learnt from Buncefield, UK

A massive explosion and fire at the Buncefield oil terminal in Hertfordshire, UK on 11 December 2005 caused significant damage to the terminal and neighbouring buildings. Significant environmental damage was also caused by leakage of petroleum products and contaminated firewater through failed secondary containment bunds and tertiary containment measures. Since the groundwater was contaminated over an area in excess of 1 ha, the incident was defined as a major accident to the environment. This paper highlights the civil engineering lessons learned from a review of the Buncefield incident, which should help to improve the safety and environmental protection of oil storage depots worldwide.