UK Levies Record Fines on Buncefield Firms

摘要

Five companies were ordered Friday to pay ￡9.5 million ($14.6 million) for their part in a massive fire and explosion at the UK’s Buncefield oil storage depot in 2005 (IOD Dec.13’05,p1). Operator Total was fined ￡3.6 million and ordered to pay ￡2.6 million in costs, while Hertfordshire Oil Storage - owned 60% by Total and 40% by Chevron - was separately fined ￡1.45 million plus ￡1 million in costs. British Pipeline Agency - co-owned by BP and Royal Dutch Shell - will have to pay a ￡300,000 fine and costs of ￡480,000; TAV Engineering, which designed a crucial safety switch that failed, will pay a fine of $1,000 and ￡500 in costs; and installation and maintenance company Motherwell Control Systems 2003 will also pay a ￡1,000 fine and ￡500 in costs.