Shortly after the International Air Transport Association (IATA) draft report found that Paz Oil Company Ltd. (TASE:PZOL) was responsible for the jet fuel contamination at Ben Gurion Airport in early May, the preliminary report submitted on Friday to the airlines operating in Israel and the jet fuel operators could not determine culpability for the contamination.
IATA states that its delegation reached no conclusion about the source of the contamination, but that the investigators were able to prove the following facts:
- Contamination was found in the filters of the jet fuel tankers owned both Paz Aviation Services Ltd. and Mercury Aviation (Israel) Ltd.
- Contamination was found in the filters of the fuel tanks of Paz, and the entry and exit of the excise terminal, and in the filters of the pipelines leaving Paz Ashdod Oil Refinery. No contamination was found in the filers of Oil Refineries Ltd. (TASE:ORL) in Haifa.
- No product was received via the import channel.
It recommends an immediate cleaning of the supply line from Paz Ashdod Oil Refinery to the excise terminal, and from the excise terminal to Paz's fuel jet tanks to remove any residual contaminants. IAIT also recommends a review of the contents and format of the notice to air crews to create a direct and clear notification procedure, which will be the sole official source.
In a notice to the TASE, Paz said in response, "In contrast to the draft report, the IATA interim report does not determine that Paz Ashdod Oil Refinery was the source of the contamination. The IATA team did not visit Paz Ashdod and held no meetings with its staff. The IATA findings are not based on laboratory tests, but on summaries of meetings, and they contradict the authorized laboratory tests in our possession, which were sent to the Ministry of National Infrastructures investigative committee."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on July 18, 2011
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