Delta Wilmar denies palm oil spilling into the Black Sea (UPDATED)

The information about the breakage of the reservoir with palm oil in the territory of the Delta Wilmar CIS oil crushing plant resulting in the spilling of the product into the Black Sea does not correspond to reality. This was stated by Yuri Golyanich, Director General of Delta Wilmar CIS.

He said that the oil from the damaged tank was pumped to other tanks, and there were no leaks outside the enterprise, especially no spills in the sea. According to him, there were no negative impact on the environment, risks or damage as a result of the incident.

Company's employee who wished to remain anonymous told Latifundist.com that the incident resulted in oil spilling over the site. The source noted that pumping of oil out of the tank when the air valve was closed or non-functional caused the destruction.

On November 30th, the regional media reported on Facebook that about 3,000 tons of palm oil had been spilt due to the tank damage. According to the message, part of the oil was discharged into the Black Sea, while the other part was used in food production.

As noted by Yuri Golyanich, all information apart from the reservoir damage is untrue.

Latifundist.com applied to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine to clarify the situation.

As a reminder, in November 2018 the ignition occurred in the territory of the Delta Wilmar CIS plant.

UPDATE

The company confirmed that on November 22, 2019, in the territory of the tank farm No.1 of Delta Wilmar Ukraine there was a production failure, namely deformation of vertical steel tank No.204 with the working volume of 1.82 thou. m².

"Due to deformation, a part of the refined palm oil spilt on a hard surface within the closure embankment. No injuries were sustained among the employees or contractors. At the time of the incident, the tank contained 984 t of product, most of which was pumped to other tanks. There is no negative impact on the environment, biodiversity or water resources."

As of December 2, 2019, the product was collected. The company is in the process of degreasing the surface of the closure embankment.