Texas City refinery explosion
2005 deadly refinery accident / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Texas City refinery explosion occurred on March 23, 2005, when a flammable hydrocarbon vapor cloud ignited and violently exploded at the isomerization process unit of the BP oil refinery in Texas City, Texas, killing 15 workers, injuring 180 others and severely damaging the refinery. All the fatalities were contractors working out of temporary buildings located close to the unit to support turnaround activities. Property loss was $200 million ($300 million in 2023[1]). When including costs of repairs, deferred production, fines, and settlements, the explosion is the world's costliest refinery accident.
Show Texas and Gulf of Mexico region Show Galveston County and southeastern Greater Houston | |
Date | March 23, 2005 (2005-03-23) |
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Time | 1:20 pm (CDT) |
Venue | BP Texas City refinery |
Location | Isomerization plant |
Coordinates | 29°22′23″N 94°56′20″W |
Type | Vapor cloud explosion |
Cause | Overfilling of a blowdown stack with liquid raffinate due to faulty instrumentation and poor execution of unit start-up procedure |
Deaths | 15 |
Non-fatal injuries | 180 |
Property damage | $200 million ($312 million in 2024) |
Inquiries | BP's internal investigations, Baker Panel independent investigation, Chemical Safety Board investigation |
Convicted | BP Products North America Inc. |
Charges | Violation of section 112(r)(7) of the Clean Air Act |
Verdict | BP pled guilty and settled for $50 million and a probation period of three years |
Litigation | Approximately 4,000 claims |
Costs | Approximately $2.5 billion of liabilities for BP |
The direct cause of the accident was the ignition of a heavy hydrocarbon vapor cloud which emanated from raffinate liquids overflowing from the top of a blowdown stack. The source of ignition was probably a running vehicle engine. The release of liquid followed the automatic opening of a raffinate splitter column overpressure protection caused by overfilling.
Subsequent investigation reports by BP, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), and an independent blue-ribbon panel led by James Baker identified numerous technical and organizational failings at the refinery and within corporate BP.