Cork Harbour clean up operations expanded after Whitegate oil refinery leak

Oil absorbent booms have also been deployed onto the water next to the site to prevent further release from the marsh area into the bay

Thu, 25 Jan, 2024 - 20:45

Eoin English

The clean-up operation following Monday’s oil gas from Ireland’s only oil refinery was expanded in Cork Harbour amid calls for a review of how the public is alerted to such environmental incidents.

In an update on Thursday night, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the incident response team at Irving Oil in Whitegate is reviewing the cleanup plan on an ongoing basis, and the spill response team remains on site.

The group includes a team of specialist oil spill response contractors, ecologists and environmental experts to guide the clean-up plan as Irving Oil works to determine the quantity of gas oil released during the incident.

But the Canadian fuels giant confirmed that vacuum tankers have been deployed in the Marsh area of Corkbeg on the western side of Whitegate Bay to help recover spilled gas oil close to the site of the leak.

Oil-absorbent booms have also been deployed onto the water next to the site to prevent further release from the marsh area into the bay. Spent booms are being removed and replaced.

However, following surveys of the coastline, the spill response team expanded their clean-up operations to include the southern and eastern shoreline of Whitegate Bay, which included low-pressure washing of the sea wall in Whitegate village.

Crews were also deployed to remove accumulated gas oil residues on public pathways in the village.

The EPA also said water quality is being monitored daily in nearby areas of Cork Harbour.

“The EPA have been engaging with the site daily, and will continue to maintain oversight of progress until the incident is closed,” it said.

The company discovered the spill at 9am on Monday after an inspection found that gas oil had leaked from a small gauge pipe onto a marshy area below it and then into the harbour.

A spill response team was mobilised and the leak was contained by 1pm. The damaged equipment was repaired at 7pm. The company reported the incident to the EPA at 7.25pm.

It also notified the Port of Cork, the Irish Coast Guard, Cork County Council, the Health and Safety Authority and local businesses.

The EPA published details of the incident on the notifications section of its website by Wednesday.

But Midleton-based Social Democrats Cllrs Liam Quaide said he has a number of concerns about the incident.

“Firstly, there was an interval of over 10 hours between the identification of the leak and the EPA being notified,” he said.

“There was a further delay in informing the public.

“The EPA's initial summary of the leak and warning that the public should avoid the area were communicated in a notification on its website.

“Few people regularly consult this website, and a serious public health measure could easily have been missed.

“This important information should have been conveyed via a press release."

Fewer than half of renters in Cork claimed tax credit in 2023