Transnet says thieves are to blame for Alberton pipeline fire

According to the state-owned company, the pipeline fire which raged in Alberton, Ekurhuleni, on Tuesday 31 December, forcing Alberton residents within a 500m radius to evacuate their homes, was the result of attempted theft.

The major pipeline is one of Transnet’s 3 800km, high-pressure petroleum and gas pipelines which runs from Durban to Gauteng.

Spate of theft on pipelines

Transnet spokesperson Saret Knoetze said in a statement on Tuesday that it has been plagued by an unprecedented spate of theft incidents on pipelines and the associated infrastructure during the last few months.

“The latest incident occurred on December 31 in Alberton, where an attempted theft incident at a block valve occurred on our Durban to Johannesburg petroleum pipeline, on a section between Alrode and the airport, which has resulted in a spillage and fire,” said Knoetze. 

Plans in place to curb theft, damage

According to the statement, Transnet CEO Sibongiseni Khathi said Transnet has implemented various plans to curb theft and damage to Transnet property. He said these have yielded positive results, including several arrests and the impounding of numerous fuel tankers.

“Unfortunately the criminal activities are ongoing and thereby increasing the risk to communities living near our pipelines and potentially affecting the security of supply to the inland market area.”

All hands on deck to contain petrol spillage

Knoetze said on Tuesday that Transnet technicians and emergency services officials were working on containing the petroleum spillage to minimise the risk to the community and the environment.

Despite the primary blaze being brought under control by about 11:00 on Tuesday, a secondary fire caused by the spillage of the fuel was later brought under control by firefighters using foam to blanket and contain the spill.

According to allafrica, Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Services Management spokesperson Eric Maloka said the technicians were planning to drain a portion of the gas and petrol pipeline on Tuesday afternoon.

No security-of-supply concerns

Knoetze said there were no security-of-supply concerns to the Gauteng market area caused by the fire as the pipeline is part of a section of the Durban-to-Johannesburg pipeline which is currently being decommissioned as it was replaced with the new multi-product pipeline.