Fourteen senior managers will be charged for a pipeline explosion which lead to China's worst oil spill and environmental crisis to date.
According to state media, 14 senior managers will be charged for a pipeline explosion which occured near China's northeastern city of Dalian last July. The pipeline, owned by Asia's biggest oil and gas producer by volume China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC exploded and caused a blaze that took 15 hours to extinguish.
The result of the explosion was “serious pollution” of the surrounding 11 square-kilometres of sea and “slightly affecting” a further 50 square-kilometres in the surrounding area.
Xinhua News Agency has reported that 29 senior managers of CNPC and affiliated companies involved in the accident will also face disciplinary action, which will include dismissal and demotion. However, the exact nature of the judicial charges to the 14 managers has not yet been made public.
Results from a joint State Administration of Work Safety and Ministry of Public Security investigation showed that “improper desulfurizer injections” caused the 90cm pipeline to explode, which then triggered the explosion of an adjacent pipeline. According to the report, workers continued to inject desulfurizer into the pipeline for seven hours after the initial explosion, causing significant risks to safety. The report goes on to condemn the management for their “ineffective oversight” and failure to stop the injection operation in time.