Texas City refinery explosion

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On March 23, 2005, a hydrocarbon vapor cloud ignited and violently exploded at the isomerization process unit of the BP-owned oil refinery in Texas City, Texas. The explosion resulted in the death of 15 workers, 180 injuries and severe damage to the refinery. All the fatalities were contractors working out of temporary buildings located close to the unit to support turnaround activities. Property loss was $200 million ($330 million in 2025). When including settlements ($2.1 billion), costs of repairs, deferred production, and fines, the explosion is the world's costliest refinery accident. The explosive vapor cloud came from raffinate liquids overflowing from the top of a blowdown stack. The source of ignition was probably a running vehicle engine. The release of liquid followed the automatic opening of a set of relief valves on a raffinate splitter column caused by overfilling. Subsequent investigation reports by BP, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), and an independent blue-ribbon...

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