Port Stanvac, South Australia

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Port Stanvac

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Location of the former Port Stanvac in South Australia^[1]

Port Stanvac is a former port and oil refinery in the suburb of Lonsdale south of Adelaide city centre in South Australia. It was operated by ExxonMobil between 1963 and 2003. Since its closure, the port and adjoining land-based refinery site have been decommissioned.

Oil refinery

It was announced in 1958 that a

Port Stanvac jetty

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (June 2016)

The Port Stanvac jetty is 670 metres long, and since the refinery's closure in 2003 remains with an exclusion zone for the purposes of public safety. The structure terminates in waters 12 to 15 metres deep.^[3]

In October 2015, the South Australian government committed to retaining the existing 215 metre rock groyne adjoining the jetty, but according to ExxonMobil "had not identified a viable alternate use for the defunct structure." Mobil agreed to fund upgrade works estimated to cost $5.7 million to ensure that the groyne would be safe prior to opening it for public access.^[4] The jetty structure itself is expected to be demolished.^{[needs update]}

The Southern Times Messenger previously reported that ExxonMobil had offered the Port Stanvac Jetty to the City of Onkaparinga. This was to allow anglers and divers access in the hope that one day the jetty could be used for recreational fishing and diving.^[5] Onkaparinga Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg has said any responsibility for the jetty should fall to the Government of South Australia. Shore-based diving opportunities near suburban Adelaide are few, making the jetty structure a prospective new dive tourism attraction. Onkaparinga city development manager Terry Sutcliffe said^[when?] one of the council's aims was to see the jetty used as a port for local industries and said the council would need to consider maintenance and liability costs if it chose to take over the jetty.^{[citation needed][needs update]}

Oil spills

A number of oil spill events occurred at or near Port Stanvac during the refinery's operating life.

• One such incident occurred on 20 July 1978 when oil was discharged from the vessel Aphrodite into Gulf St Vincent.^[6]
• On 22 January 1982, oil was spilled from the tanker Esso Gippsland during unloading at the Port Stanvac jetty. The slick was sprayed with chemical
  Aldinga Beach.^[7]
• On 28 June 1999, approximately 230 tonnes of oil was discharged from an offshore loading connection to the refinery. The discharge occurred 2 nautical miles offshore.
  Sellicks Beach and Aldinga Beach.^[9]

The South Australian band The Dairy Brothers wrote a song called "Port Stanvac", for which they also produced a music video.^[citation needed]

References

35°05′51″S 138°26′48″E / 35.09762°S 138.446691°E / -35.09762; 138.446691