New system to fight oil tank fires draws water from the sea: SCDF

If a large-scale oil tank fire breaks out here, a new system which can draw water from the sea will help the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) tackle it.

Introduced in September 2022, the modular oil tank firefighting system can reach seawater as far as 2.5km from the fire.

The new system, which has yet to be used in an actual fire operation, can generate water flow of up to 100,000 litres a minute.

At this rate, it can fill an Olympic-size swimming pool in 25 minutes.

Previously, the system firefighters used to fight flames could generate a water flow of only 60,500 litres a minute.

This meant that it would take around 40 minutes – almost twice as long – to fill up the same pool, which is 50m long, 25m wide and 2m deep.

On the improved water flow, Colonel Mohamed Firoz Ramjan, commander of 1st SCDF Division, said: ‘This capability allows for rapid intervention and containment of a fire in an oil tank that could be as large as 112m in diameter.”

In February, SCDF presented the new modular oil tank firefighting system to the media. The showcase was done in the lead-up to Exercise Northstar XI, which will take place on 22 March.

The national-level exercise, which will be held on Jurong Island, will showcase the Government’s capabilities to handle major crises and possible threat scenarios.

Colonel Firoz added: ‘The modular design of SCDF’s latest oil tank firefighting capability also provides more flexibility when it gets deployed, and allows us to overcome certain terrain constraints to ensure a large oil tank fire is contained and extinguished rapidly.’

Such constraints include slopes and uneven service roads that may be a hindrance to firefighting abilities.

SCDF said that the modular oil tank firefighting system is intended for use only during oil tank fires, which are likely to occur at chemical plants or at petrochemical companies with large oil tanks.

Such companies are often located near the Singapore Strait which is connected to the South China Sea, allowing the system to draw water from the sea.

An SCDF spokesman said the new monitors, which discharge the foam solution, can be deployed farther back from the fire, about 100m away, ensuring the safety of firefighters.

For more information, go to www.straitstimes.com/singapore/new-system-to-fight-oil-tank-fires-draws-water-from-the-sea-scdf