Spill in simple term is defined as any discharge into the natural environment (land or water) from or out of a pipeline, vessel, structure, vehicle or other container. In the oil industry the most common spill is a “pinhole leak” from pipelines.  In many cases the cost could be people life or company reputation, hence “prevention is better than cure”.

Preventing a spill is not always easy, especially in the oil industry, where you have thousands of kilometers of flow-lines. In this case, however, you should always keep a long term strategy for flow-lines replacement and chose pipeline material, which is “fit for the purpose” (i.e. durable).

Always make sure that wherever you have an area that have a high spill potential (e.g. main oil line’s block valve stations) be constructed in a bunded appropriately designed, impervious and compatible with the material stored in it.

Think about environment, fire protection, access, maintenance and security requirements before deciding where to put a new oil/chemical storage tank. The tank should be of a sufficient strength and structural integrity to ensure that it is unlikely to burst or leak in ordinary use. The bund of a fuel/chemical/oil tank shall not be less than 110% of the largest container in the system or 25% of the aggregate total capacity of the containers, whichever is the greater.

For illustrative purposes, Figure above shows a bunded storage tank installation constructed in situ, with both fixed and flexible draw-off pipes.