CAIRNS AIRPORT - Dangerous fuel leak

[CASAweary]

A source informed me today that Cairns airport has a severe fuel leak underground. It has been leaking for 2 years with fuel vapours escaping airside around aerobridges etc and little to nothing has been done to rectify it. Furthermore my source tells me that the current operations manager doesn't understand the dangerous issue because he is in fact a security manager only.The general manager of operations is a check-in chick who only knows about terminal chair colours and also doesn't understand the danger. Can the Townsville refueller please confirm the status of this problem? Apparently the leak cannot be found and lots of Jet A1 is escaping and being extracted at times via heavy machinery.
Cairns has no experienced safety manager, with the human resources manager filling the role, and she does a very poor job at that. The CEO is aware of the concerns but has chosen to bury the issue. On top of that they have no environmnetal manager, just a uni student filling in the position. They have had several environmntal leaks into the Barron river which leads to the great barrier reef, again without one concern. It seems money is the main priority. The airport has also had subcontract workers working at heights without protection with one almost falling off a terminal building and a host of security breaches.

I have been told that the CEO has sopent nothing on the airport since it was privatised 4 years ago and that the situation is getting serious. Safety is being ignored. I wonder if the Board and JP Morgan are aware??

[megle2]

After you have solved the Cairns leak could you fix the supply to the BP avgas bowser at Tamworth. It also has had a long standing underground leak

[Desert Flower]

Who supplies the fuel there? If the installation belongs to BP, Shell, Mobil or whomever, go to the head office & make your concerns known.

DF.

[bb744]

How about a factual report to the EPA and a huge amount of noise to the media, otherwise, nothing to see here, move along please. Having said that, if it is true, go for it, balls to the wall!!!!!

[Pilot58]

A source informed me today that Cairns airport has a severe fuel leak underground. It has been leaking for 2 years with fuel vapours escaping airside around aerobridges etc and little to nothing has been done to rectify it. Furthermore my source tells me that the current operations manager doesn't understand the dangerous issue because he is in fact a security manager only.The general manager of operations is a check-in chick who only knows about terminal chair colours and also doesn't understand the danger. Can the Townsville refueller please confirm the status of this problem? Apparently the leak cannot be found and lots of Jet A1 is escaping and being extracted at times via heavy machinery.
Cairns has no experienced safety manager, with the human resources manager filling the role, and she does a very poor job at that. The CEO is aware of the concerns but has chosen to bury the issue. On top of that they have no environmnetal manager, just a uni student filling in the position. They have had several environmntal leaks into the Barron river which leads to the great barrier reef, again without one concern. It seems money is the main priority. The airport has also had subcontract workers working at heights without protection with one almost falling off a terminal building and a host of security breaches.

I have been told that the CEO has sopent nothing on the airport since it was privatised 4 years ago and that the situation is getting serious. Safety is being ignored. I wonder if the Board and JP Morgan are aware??

Has Lipmann taken over fuel at Cairns now ?

[Capt Fathom]

Did anyone hear that whining noise? Didn't think so!

[Soteria]

Has Lipmann taken over fuel at Cairns now ?God help us if he has. The post is way too articulate for Lipmann.

[Pilot58]

God help us if he has. The post is way too articulate for Lipmann.

Yeah wouldn't surprise anyone.

[feetonthedash]

I hope this is not correct as it could be a huge disaster if anything happened in the terminal.
Also fisherman have told me for years there has been contamination in the Barron River and fish numbers have plummeted.
Someone needs to look at this ASAP :sad::sad::sad::sad:

[onetrack]

So what happens when the reconciliation between litres of fuel pumped in, and litres of fuel sold, shows up a large discrepancy? Everyone just shrugs, and they tack another 5% onto everyones fuel bill? I don't think so.

Underground fuel leaks are serious, and they are treated seriously by the authorities, when discovered. Did you ever see a service station that is suddenly shuttered overnight?
That's because the environmental authorities have suddenly found an underground fuel tank with a serious leak, and the servo operation is shut down on the spot, until the leak is remedied.

Underground fuel leakage is a big No-No. Like a VERY BIG NO-NO. Fuels contain carcinogens, the benzene in petrol/avgas is a well known carcinogen.
Contamination of soils and underground aquifers by underground fuel leakage is NOT allowed, under a myriad of laws - not in the least, the environmental laws.
There are also a myriad of Worksafe regulations and laws relating to underground fuel storage and handling.
Underground fuel leakage poses a very real threat of violent explosion, as volatile fumes from fuel leakage can collect in cavities such as stormwater drains and pits.

If you KNOW for SURE that fuel is leaking underground, from tanks or piping, then call the pollution hotline 1300 130 372 and report the matter.

It is beholden on any manager or person in authority, having charge of an underground fuel storage and pumping system, to ensure that any leakage is found promptly, and that that leakage is addressed by prompt action to stop that leakage.

It is also beholden on any manager to report underground fuel leakage that has caused, or has the potential to cause, environmental harm, to the Qld Dept of Environment and Heritage Protection.
The fines in Australia for environmental pollution via unchecked underground fuel leakage, run into the multiple tens of thousands of dollars.

Guide - Duty to notify of Environmental Harm (http://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/licences-permits/business-industry/pdf/guide-duty-notify-environmental-harm-em467.pdf)

[mustafagander]

My dear old dad was in the motor trade for several decades and sold petrol as well as the workshop stuff. Over that period we had several underground tanks which corroded out and made holes.

Never, I repeat never, did the tanks "lose" fuel, always they dipped higher and, in fact, we used that as an indicator of a problem. Pretty messy when they are dug up - puts you out of the petrol business for a few days.

Try a bit of logic - what is the SG of fuel, petrol and avtur? Yes, it "floats" on the incoming water and tanks almost invariably corrode out the bottom. Condensation always settles on the bottom, hence the tanks go to holes at the lower extremities.

Therefore I wonder about the provenance of this story about fumes, groundwater contamination at al. I highly doubt it's a tank problem, maybe piping leaks if there is, in fact, a problem at all.