Chesapeake, Va.-City inspectors are keeping a close eye on the rest of the fertilizer tanks after Allied Terminals drained one of them on orders from the local fire chief because of suspicions of having the same weld problems that caused last November’s disastrous failure. “The contents have been sufficiently removed to a level where no immediate danger exists,” spokesman Capt. Steve Johnson reported. “Our task force continues to inspect surrounding facilities as well.” Johnson said Allied met the Jan. 30 deadline for draining Tank 209, which has a capacity of more than 2 million gallons of liquid fertilizer. Inspectors found the tank to have defective welds similar to the ones that caused a nearby tank to collapse. The tank now holds only about three feet of product, which Johnson described as of no real concern to city officials. Nearby Tank 201 collapsed Nov. 12, spilling more than 2 million gallons of liquid fertilizer, some of which flowed into the South Hill community and toward the southern branch of the Elizabeth River (GM Archives).
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain