The event occurred on Saturday around 10:50 p.m. according to the press release from the prefecture which carried out a situation update at 7 a.m. “The leak materialized as a 2 cm breach on a weld seam creating a trickle of flow in the Loire and an iridescent phenomenon with a surface area of approximately 500 m² in the river. This surface area could be partly contained by a double containment system via floating booms despite climatic (wind, swell) and natural (ebb tide) conditions which make it difficult to encircle this iridescent zone.
According to the prefecture, “since 3:45 a.m.” on Sunday, “no more crude oil flows into the Loire” and “interventions are underway to permanently plug the leak.” “The iridescent waters should partly disperse naturally and be transferred, by the action of the wind, to the banks,” she said, ensuring that the assessment of the environmental impact of this leak will continue.
The management of the Donges refinery could not immediately be reached on Sunday morning.
The TotalEnergies teams isolated the defective pipe and confined the area concerned. “The Donges refinery regrets the inconvenience caused and is doing everything possible to resolve the situation as quickly as possible,” assures the oil company.
