GESTOCI - | Abidjan-Vridi Oil Terminal "TPAV": GESTOCI successfully tests its ability to react to a disaster

| Abidjan-Vridi Oil Terminal "TPAV": GESTOCI successfully tests its ability to react to a disaster

Le DG et la DGA de GESTOCI

The Petroleum Stock Management Company of Côte d'Ivoire (GESTOCI) successfully tested, on Wednesday December 21, 2022 in Abidjan, its Internal Operation Plan (POI), an exercise aimed at reacting to a simulated fire , which could have adverse effects on the company. The simulation took place on its facilities at the Abidjan Vridi Oil Terminal (TPAV).

Everything begins around 10 a.m. in the theater of operations. The services of the state oil company are alerted to the occurrence of a fire on a fuel tank (Bac de Jet). The General Management immediately dispatched a reconnaissance team to the site to assess the incident. It follows the establishment of the necessary system to respond to the prevailing situation. A security perimeter is quickly defined and non-essential personnel evacuated.

From then on, operations were launched under the supervision of the Deputy Managing Director, Nina Keïta Kamara, who was also GESTOCI's first female Director of Internal Operations "DOI" since 1983. She leads and organizes the various simulation exercises, and ensures that the procedure to be adopted is properly followed. After 1 hour and 46 minutes of fierce fighting, the fire was contained by GESTOCI's internal emergency services. The operation was a resounding success to everyone's delight.

This exercise, which aimed to test the ability to react in the event of an incident, put GESTOCI's internal teams in a real working situation, with the invaluable support of several partner structures, in particular the Ivorian Refining Company (SIR ), PETROCI, the Group of Military Firefighters (GSPM), the National Gendarmerie, the National Police, the Ivorian Anti-Pollution Center (CIAPOL), the Emergency Medical Aid Service (SAMU), the port security group and the National Civil Protection Office (ONPC).

“We are exposed and it is our duty to always be ready. The operation made it possible to test the reliability, performance and environment of our facilities. This test is not for but to appreciate the performances, but to see the difficulties and to improve them. We are satisfied with the results obtained”, indicated the Managing Director of GESTOCI, Ibrahima Doumbia, at the end of the exercise.

For the Director of Internal Operations "DOI", Nina Keïta Kamara, it is an operation that ends with the feeling of accomplishment. “The objective of a POI is to anticipate and organize the behavior to adopt according to the crisis scenario that occurs on our site. It must be tested and drilled at least every year…”, she said, before expressing her pride and congratulating all the parties involved in this annual exercise.

Also present in the theater of operations, the President of the Board of Directors (PCA), Madeleine Oulaï, promised to defend a substantial budget to enable GESTOCI to acquire state-of-the-art equipment, in order to respond more effectively to the crucial issue of securing facilities.