NPC puts gas leak concerns to rest

Following reports of a strong odour or gas smell in certain parts of Christ Church and the subsequent evacuation of the Sheraton Mall in that same parish yesterday, those affected were given the reassurance that they should not panic since all was well.

The reassurance came from the National Petroleum Corporation (NPC) via a statement issue publicly and also sent to The Barbados Advocate, which read, “The public is asked to note that the National Petroleum Corporation (NPC) is in the process of refilling their odourant tank in the Woodbourne, Christ Church area. During this  routine maintenance, fumes will escape into the atmosphere, giving the impression of a gas leak.  This exercise should take about two hours. The public should be reassured that this is not dangerous and the NPC apologises for the inconvenience.”

Routine maintenance operation

Manager of Technical Operations, Roger Martindale, also took to the airwaves to give details about the process and to also reassure the public that there was no immediate danger present.

“What’s actually happening is that the National Petroleum Corporation’s Technical Operations Department is carrying out a maintenance exercise, in that we are refilling the tank that contains the additives associated with the smells that the public has noticed. In the refilling of the tank with the additives, we are basically filling the tank to a level which would allow us to be comfortable in knowing that we have certainly the volume of additives sufficient for at least another half year, or six to eight months,” he explained.

Martindale  added,  “This is an exercise we normally would engage in twice a year. So what you are smelling is the escape of some of the additives to the environment. This tank that we are filling is currently located at Woodbourne, Christ Church, on the premises of the Barbados National Oil Company. So it is basically very much a routine exercise and I do apologise for any alarm that has been given to the public, but I would wish the public to be confident and aware that there is no need for any concerns from a safety point of view. It is just that the additive, some of it has escaped to the environment and is travelling across the country, especially across the East-West corridor of the airwaves and giving that smell that people are experiencing.”

Meanwhile, reports later suggested that some individuals with respiratory problems were affected by the odour and work stoppages were also reported, as persons tried to ascertain where the scent was coming from and what was actually taking place.

Kelly Stoute, General Manager at Sheraton Mall pointed out that whilst some tenants returned to work, others who were asthmatic and who had other respiratory challenges had to seek medical attention. (RSM)