The 2013 Qingdao oil pipeline explosion occurred on 22 November 2013, when an

oil pipeline Pipeline transport is the long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas through a system of pipes—a pipeline—typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countr ...

in Chinese city of

Qingdao Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...

Shandong Province Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizatio ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

leaked and caught fire and exploded. The blast killed at least 62 people. At least nine people were detained by the police.

Events Leading to Accident

*The pipeline ruptured and leaked for about 15 minutes onto a street and into the sea before it was shut off. *Hours later, as workers cleaned up the spill, the oil caught fire and exploded in two locations *Oil had seeped into underground utility pipes, which could have been a factor in the blasts *Oil also caught fire as it spread over the sea

Findings

*Energy Pipeline networks and cities expanding rapidly bringing them closer – This provides opportunity for thieves and also leaving lines dangerously close to general public *No nationwide database for pipelines *In effective investigation procedures - Pipeline investigation was completed in September 2013 – but after the explosion the effectiveness of Pipeline investigation remains questionable * Sinopec completed QHSE checks across all its facilities and found 8000 safety problems ranging from Oil and Gas Well management through to standards at rented oil storage facilities *Subsequent nationwide pipeline safety check found similar corrosion problems throughout the nation's pipeline network

References

{{coord, 36.0494, N, 120.2150, E, source:wikidata, display=title Explosions in 2013 2013 disasters in China Explosions in China History of Shandong History of Qingdao Pipeline accidents November 2013 events in China