Maintenance Worker Dies in Marine Terminal Tank Explosion [Paranagua Port, Brazil – 21 April 2022]
![Maintenance Worker Dies in Marine Terminal Tank Explosion [Paranagua Port, Brazil – 21 April 2022]](https://blueoceana.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-25-at-1.52.12-PM-623x200.png)
Late arriving news from Paranagua port, Brazil would have us understand that a worker performing routine maintenance on a vegetable oil storage tank was fatally injured when the tank exploded.
It is presumed, but unverified, that the maintenance worker was performing hot work on the tank.
Most vegetable oil vapors have a flash [ignition] point at around 600 degrees Fahrenheit, making it a bit easier to understand how an explosion within a confined [tank] space could be supported by introducing a substantial, sustained heat source to the tank’s surface.
Inerting any tank space before introducing a heat source is the preferred way of conducting work on the tank.
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