Oil leak in Evron: 5 suspects may be prosecuted Israel today

According to the suspicion, the main cause of the engineering failure is the execution of the project incorrectly. • The leak contaminated large areas in the reserve and the costs of the damage are estimated at NIS 100 million.

• Evrona Reserve after the infection.

  December 2014

  Photography: 

  Yehuda Ben Yethach (Archive)

The Department of the Attorney General's Certified Prosecutors announced today (Tuesday) to the Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Company (EPA) and five past and present company officials that they are being prosecuted, subject to a hearing. In the Evrona Reserve in Eilat. 

As you may recall, in December 2014, about 5 million liters of crude oil leaked from a pipeline of the EPA company towards the Arava Arava Reserve, which is located about 10 km north of Eilat and covers about 40 km2 in the southern Arava. 

As part of the construction of Ramon Airport in the Arava, and for the purpose of paving an access path, a route change of part of the Ashkelon-Eilat pipeline is required, which is used to transport raw fuel, by moving west of a section of pipeline near the Beer Ora junction. 

Photography: Miracles, narration: Oz Maron

According to the suspicion, on December 3, 2014, as part of the pipeline diversion work, an engineering failure occurred due to which the pipeline disintegrated and 5,000 cubic meters of crude fuel erupted from it, flowing over the ground, contaminating large areas in the Evrona Reserve. On about 144 dunams, and the costs of the damages were estimated in the opinion of experts in amounts exceeding NIS 100 million.

The letter of suspicion states that the main cause of the engineering failure that led to the leak was poor execution of the project, in violation of internal procedures and safety instructions at EPA, without a detailed and detailed plan being prepared, and in the absence of sufficient coordination between planning and execution factors.