Shell U.K. Ltd. and Mobil Oil Co. Ltd. have imported "big gun" firefighting equipment from the U.S. for use at their adjacent Stanford le Hope and Coryton refineries in Essex, U.K.
A portable hydraulic fire tender carrying a 6,000 gpm foam gun has been stationed at Shell's Stanford le Hope plant. A 10,000 gpm unit has been placed about 1/2 mile away at Mobil's Coryton refinery.
In the event of a fire at one refinery, the other plant's tender can be towed to the blaze in minutes to assist firefighting efforts. Shell and Mobil fire crews would initially attempt to douse the flames, with Essex County fire brigade teams ready to take over in an emergency.
Shell said the two guns, designed by Williams Fire & Hazard Control Inc. of Texas, can efficiently extinguish the most severe crude oil fire.
"They have the capacity to put out within an hour a 100% fire in a crude oil tank 76 m in diameter and 22 m high containing 650,000 bbl of oil," Shell said. "They can also extinguish within an hour a blazing oil spill up to 40,000 ft sq."
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