Koppers Fined For Coal Tar Pitch Spill At Port Of Newcastle Wharf

BY IAN  CROUCH

Koppers Carbon Materials and Chemicals at Mayfield North has been fined after spilling coal tar pitch onto the wharf at the Port of Newcastle.

The Environment Protection Authority says around 2,000 litres of pitch was sprayed onto the wharf in March, with some going into the Hunter River while the material was being transferred from a tanker to the main Koppers plant.

The company has been fined $15,000 for the incident, the largest fine the EPA can issue under its legislation.

Koppers arranged a clean up and has changed its practices to ensure the incident doesn't happen again.

Newcastle To Get Extra Fuel Storage Capacity

 BY IAN CROUCH

Newcastle has been included in a major federal government investment to boost long-term fuel security across Australia.

$260 million is going towards 10 projects including two in the Port of Newcastle to increase the storage capacity of diesel.

The Stolthaven depot at Mayfield North will see capacity lifted by 126 Megalitres, while the Park Fuels facility at Kooragang will be able to carry an additional 30 Megalitres.

The two projects are expected to create about 130 jobs during construction.

The projects will also deliver an extra 202 Megalitres of petrol and jet fuel storage to be funded by the private sector.

The Stolthaven Fuel Depot at Mayfield North is in line for a major increase in storage capacity