News

Manslaughter possible for Chevron bosses

UK

Manslaughter charges are being considered against bosses of the Chevron oil refinery where four people were killed last year it has emerged.

Three men and one woman were killed in the massive explosion at the plant on June 2nd last year in what was described as the UK’s worst refinery disaster for decades.

Since then, an inquiry is continuing into the cause of the explosion, which Chevron said happened while a storage tank was being taken out of service for maintenance work.

Among the four killed were fire guard Julie Jones, and three men from Milford Haven. A fifth victim was left in a critical condition and is still understood to be undergoing medical treatment. Despite efforts from the US, which saw experts fly in to assist in the investigation, police have since continued to work with the Health and Safety Executive including a forensic examination of the scene, and have confirmed they are considering bringing manslaughter charges by gross negligence.

The company which now operates the refinery, Velero Energy Limited, has been interviewed under caution in relation to the investigation.

A police spokesman said: ‘Dyfed Powys Police can confirm that they have interviewed a male employee of Velero Energy under caution in connection with the explosion on June 2.

The spokesperson continued, "This development is very much part of the continuing joint police and HSEinvestigation which is of an extremely complex nature, and no conclusions should be drawn at this stage."

Valero and Chevron continue to provide their full co-operation to the police and HSE investigation.