ConocoPhillips Limited has been fined a total of £895,000 and ordered to pay £218,854 costs at Grimsby Crown Court, after pleading guilty to breaching health and safety legislation.

On 29 June 2005 ConocoPhillips Limited was fined a total of £895,000 and ordered to pay £218,854 costs at Grimsby Crown Court, after pleading guilty to breaching health and safety legislation at an earlier hearing. The case follows an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into two incidents: a fire and explosion at the Humber Refinery, South Killingholme, North Lincolnshire on 16 April 2001 and a release of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at the Immingham Pipeline Centre, Immingham Dock, on 27 September 2001. At an earlier hearing at Grimsby Crown Court, ConocoPhillips pleaded guilty to seven breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the Pressure Systems and Transportable Gas Containers Regulations 1999.
The first incident happened on 16 April 2001 when 170 tonnes of highly flammable LPG was released from ConocoPhillips' (then Conoco's) Saturate Gas Plant at its Humberside oil refinery.
The gas cloud ignited, causing a large explosion and fire.
As the fire burned it caused failures of other pipework, resulting in another explosion and fireball.
The fire burned for approximately two-and-a-half hours.