Shell shells out £266,000 for Stanlow gas leak

Prosecutions and Claims |
12.03.2008

Shell UK Oil Products has been fined £266,681 plus £37,000 costs for a toxic gas leak at its Stanlow refinery in Cheshire. Though no one was hurt in the incident, the fine reflects the high risk posed by the gas.

Twenty tonnes of isobutane (liquefied petroleum gas), mixed with 150kg of hydrogen fluoride escaped from a corroded pressure relief pipe at the refinery's hydrofluoric alkylation plant in May 2003. The gas formed a cloud that floated 15m above the site.

HSE inspectors concluded that Shell had lost control of corrosion in the plant caused by the acids used in the alkylation process to the point where a leak was inevitable. "This is a company which has posted £13.7bn in profits and it has huge resources at its disposal," said Simon Parrington, who represented the HSE in court.

Though no one was injured in the escape, one of Shell's own internal reports warned that such a leak could cause secondary explosions and multiple fatalities if the gas had ignited.

Shell UK Oil Products pleaded guilty to failing to comply with Regulation 4 of the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1999 (which requires it to take all measures necessary to prevent major accidents) by its failure to contain a flammable toxic gas.

The company pleaded guilty to a charge under Regulation 4 of the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations of not taking measures to prevent major accidents and was fined by a judge at Chester Crown Court.