Major fire in oil pipeline near Mumbai Port Trust

A fire broke out because of a suspected leakage in an oil pipeline passing through a land owned by the Mumbai Port Trust in Wadala in central Mumbai, but no one was injured.

"An oil leakage was detected on Saturday morning and we had taken all the necessary precautions. But at 6 pm, we were informed of a fire," MbPT chairman R M Parmar said. He added that no casualties have been reported in the incident.

Huge plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the spot, located near a Castrol Lubricant Technology Centre, from a long distance and immediately fire fighting teams were rushed to the spot.

Eight fire engines from the Mumbai fire brigade were at the spot dealing with the situation, fire department sources said.

Parmar said the pipeline is owned by MbPT, which connects a refinery of state-run oil refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited with tank farms located nearby.

The blaze has been doused, but residues of the oil which is still in the pipeline may result in minor flashes of fire, Parmar said, adding that oil supply has been stopped.

The fire fighting teams will remain at the spot to take care of any eventualities, he said, adding officials from HPCL were also trying to pump out the residue oil in the pipeline.

When contacted, an official from HPCL said they were helping out the port authorities in the situation along with the officials from BPCL.

Initial reports said the fire was reported from a Castrol unit, but a company spokesperson clarified that the incident was reported from outside the compound and not at its facility.

"The leak was detected this (Saturday) morning and we had already taken all the necessary precautions like evacuating our people. This is a technology centre and not a depot," the spokesperson added.