'LNG blast at Petrojam not harmful'

An unspecified amount of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exploded into the atmosphere after the top of a pressure-relief valve flew off during the offloading process at the Petrojam oil refinery in Kingston about 7 a.m. yesterday.

Winston Watson, managing director at Petrojam Limited, the national organisation which imports fuel, said some level of miscommunication took place between individuals on the ship and those ashore.

"One of the receiving vessels overfilled and the top of the valve flew off because of an excessive build-up of pressure. That's what it's designed to do when the pressure becomes too much," he said.

Watson said that though this was an unusual occurrence, he did not feel that it would have any long-lasting environmental impact.

"The thing with LNG is when it enters the atmosphere, it expands, so a little bit of LNG may seem like a lot."

Watson said one could compare the pressure-relief valves to that of a pressure cooker: as pressure increases, so do the chances the top will blow off in an attempt to relieve the pressure build-up and prevent major explosions.