By Chester Dawson
Canadian regulators said Thursday the improperly labeled oil on
a train that derailed in a Quebec town last July and killed 47
people was consistent with normal light sweet crude and was as
volatile as gasoline, highlighting the potential danger of
crude-by-rail shipments.
The analysis marks the first time government officials have
tested the doomed train's oil, from North Dakota's Bakken shale
fields, which they have said was improperly labeled because it was
more volatile and had a lower ignition point than indicated by its
shippers.
In response to the accident, regulators in the U.S. and Canada
have mandated new testing requirements for oil shipped by rail.
The engineering lab report released by Canada's Transportation
Safety Board on Thursday found tests of oil samples showed
properties that were "consistent with those of a light sweet crude
oil, with volatility comparable to that of a condensate or gasoline
product." The samples were taken from cars that didn't explode at
the accident site and another train carrying oil of the same
origin.
The analysis also said a number of factors contributed to the
massive size of the explosion, which destroyed several buildings in
the town of Lac-Mégantic, and shocked oil and rail industry
officials.
"The large quantities of spilled crude oil, the rapid rate of
release, and the oil's high volatility and low viscosity were
likely the major contributors to the large post-derailment fireball
and pool fire," the report said.
The TSB report appeared to rule out chemicals used in shale oil
fracking as a cause for the explosion, which some had speculated
might be a contributing factor in the ignition of the crude or the
intensity of the fire. "There was no indication that the...crude
oil's properties had been affected by contamination from fracturing
process fluid additives," the report said.
It also determined that levels of hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas
often dissolved into crude oil, was not found to be present in the
oil sampled, but that "significant concentrations" of benzene and
other volatile organic compounds were detected.
A Wall Street Journal analysis published last month found that
North Dakota's Bakken Shale formation contains several times the
amount of combustible gases as oil from elsewhere. It also found
that light, sweet oil from the Bakken Shale had a far higher vapor
pressure--making it much more likely to throw off combustible
gases--than crude from dozens of other locations.
The TSB released its analysis as part of a larger investigation
into the derailment of the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway
Inc.-operated train that careened off the tracks on July 6 after an
unexplained brake failure.
TSB spokesman Chris Krepski said that the investigation remains
ongoing and a final report that will detail the agency's findings
is pending.
Dangerous fluids are measured on a scale of 1 to 3, with level 1
being most hazardous. The TSB lab report concluded that all of the
crude sampled met the criteria for classification as level 2.
Investigators had said in September that trucks used to move the
oil from Bakken to a rail-loading facility in North Dakota had
documents indicating level 2, but that the railcars that took the
cargo on to Lac-Mégantic had identified it as level 3.
The MM&A train was headed to an oil refinery in St. John,
New Brunswick, owned and operated by closely held Irving Oil.
Investigators have said regulations dictate the importer of the
goods--in this case, Irving--has the responsibility to ensure
railcars are properly labeled.
Last month, the U.S. Transportation Department issued emergency
rules requiring more extensive testing of oil shipped by rail,
following similar directives by Canadian authorities.
A spokesman from Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. declined to
comment on the TSB report. Representatives for Canadian National
Railway Co. were unavailable for immediate comment.
Paul Vieira and David George-Cosh contributed to this
article.
Write to Chester Dawson at chester.dawson@wsj.com
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