Liquid from our pipeline was sludge and not diesel – BOST

The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) has rejected claims that diesel spilt from its pipeline in the Atimpoku area in a village called Maame Water.

According to BOST, the substance was sludge from pressure testing of the pipeline which was undergoing repairs.

“For a proper assessment of the degree of damage at the commencement of the repair works, water was pumped up the line to help with the full detection of all leakages for repairs. After the repair works, the company carried out a pressure testing of the line to be sure all the leakages detected had been rectified. It is this pressure testing which resulted in the pushout of sludge in the Maame Water area which is being reported in the media. The sludge is a combination of water, dirt and fuel residue formed in the pipeline which was pushed out in the pressure testing,” a statement from BOST clarified.

Some residents along the pipelines of BOST in the Volta and Eastern Regions rushed to fetch a substance believed to be fuel from drains on Saturday after the pipelines of the BOST started leaking.

Some residents in an interview said they were hoping to sell the fuel after treating it.

Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service and some Police officers had to step in to stop residents from scooping the diesel from the drains to prevent any danger.

BOST in a statement explained that the pipeline in question had been decommissioned in 2015 due to vandalism of the line by unknown assailants.

It said repair work on the pipeline commenced a year ago and was expected to be completed by the third quarter of the year 2022 but was delayed due to the impact of the construction of the Railway Line from Tema to Mpakadan in the Volta Region.

BOST said the pressure testing was carried out “to be sure all the leakages detected have been rectified”.