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| Molasses Flows Down into the Streets |
Antigua Distillery, producer of English
Harbour Rum, Cavalier Rum and Kokocaribe Rum, discovered the molasses leaking
from the distillery’s 2500 metric ton capacity storage tank, which was
delivered the previous day. A thick layer of foam had formed on top of the
molasses and was found to be leaking through the vents under the roof of the
tank. The ship was then immediately
notified to stop pumping. Once the
overflow of foam subsided, pumping resumed and was completed by 10.30 pm.
Sunday morning, the
main storage tank located at the deep-water harbor began foaming over again.
The foaming later subsided after a vacuum truck removed the spill-over molasses
and additional truckloads of backfill were brought in. Efforts to remove the spill have been
underway since Saturday evening. Truckloads of backfill and a backhoe have been
brought in to spread the fill, and to absorb the excess molasses both inside
the distillery compound, and on the main road in front of the distillery.
A water truck was
also brought in to wash the main road of any residual molasses that may have
traveled onto it from the storage tank.
The primary concern is the pungent odor emitted by the spill. The
distillery is working to ensure that the situation will be fully contained by
this weekend. The distillery’s managing
director Anthony Bento admitted “full responsibility” for the “unusual”
incident, which is the first of its kind in the company’s 85-year history.
“The company has always placed an emphasis on
ensuring the environment is not endangered as a result of our activities. For the past two years, the company has been
involved in a pilot study with a US biotechnology firm to find ways of managing
its effluent. This is a Caribbean-wide problem in the rum industry.” Antigua Distillery are currently conducting
further investigations into what caused the accident.
Molasses spills are
rare but can be incredibly serious, not only for the environment, but to people
close by. The most famous
molasses-related incident is the Great Molasses Flood, also known as the
Boston Molasses Disaster, which happened on 15 January, 1919 at the Purity
Distilling Company in Boston, Massachusetts. A large molasses storage tank burst spewing
forth a wave of molasses through the streets at an estimated 35 mph,
killing 21 and injuring 150. Almost a century after the
incident, residents
still claim that on hot summer days the area still smells of molasses.
