Gas tanks tested, cleaned and back in action at RAF Mildenhall

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  After many gas stations around England were found to have their tanks contaminated with silicone, the question was raised as to whether gas stations on base also faced the same problem. 

Harvest Energy, a British company which supplies gasoline both to the economy and to U.S. bases in England, performed independent testing to determine if fuel at AAFES gas stations at RAFs Mildenhall and Lakenheath had been contaminated. 

Thousands of British motorists have suffered problems with their vehicles because of the silicone-contaminated gasoline causing oxygen sensor difficulties, which has, in some cases, been leading to complete engine shutdown, according to reports in the British media. 

"Even though there was a slight amount of contamination we wanted to start afresh," said Richard Mora, AAFES General Manager, U.K. consolidated exchange. "Harvest volunteered to clean the tanks, and we immediately said, 'please do.' It was a joint effort; for customer confidence, we wanted a completely fresh start," he said. 

A telephone call from Harvest officials, at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, confirmed there was some contamination in the storage tanks, though it was much less than anything found off base, probably due to the high volume of fuel constantly being pushed through the tanks, according to Mr. Mora. 

"The result was 20 parts per million - Harvest told us that fuel tanks on the economy were found to have contamination ranging from 90 to 300 ppm, so apart from RAF Lakenheath, who had no contamination, we were the cleanest," he said. 

The tanks were cleaned and refilled before noon today and the pumps were closed for about two hours. 

"The result of 20 parts per million poses little or no threat to vehicles," said Lt. Col. Gary Dzubilo, 100th Mission Support Group deputy commander. "However, to ensure there were absolutely no problems, the fuel tanks have been emptied, cleaned and refilled. 

"Taking care of our Team Mildenhall folks and ensuring their safety and well-being, is our number one priority."