Nutrien Ag Solutions is in the process of confirming additional storage solutions, after parts of its bulk fertiliser site went up in flames last week.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) firefighters were called to the out-of-control structure fire at the Kwinana warehouse, which was holding granular products only, early Friday afternoon.
Thick black smoke billowed into the sky from the Kwinana Bulk Jetty, as crews worked tirelessly throughout the night and in difficult conditions to successfully prevent damage to neighbouring buildings and infrastructure.
It took 10 hours to bring the blaze under control, with more than 270 personnel including career and volunteer firefighters and State Emergency Services volunteers, supported by firefighting aircraft, responding to the incident.
As a precautionary measure, 11 people were safely evacuated from the Nutrien site.
A HAZMAT warning was also issued on Emergency WA for Kwinana Beach, East Rockingham, Postans, The Spectacles, Anketell, Oakford, Oldbury, Baldivis, Wellard, Bertram, Casuarina, Leda, Medina, Parmelia, Kwinana Town Centre, Orelia and Calista.
On Monday, a DFES spokesperson told Farm Weekly the DFES fire investigation and analysis unit was continuing investigations and was yet to determine the cause of the fire.
Nutrien Ag Solutions region manager - west, Andrew Duperouzel said on Tuesday the issue now was not around supply, but rather the ability to safely and efficiently offload and dispatch given the uncertainties with site infrastructure at Kwinana.
He said they were working with industry to alleviate storage limitations and was in the process of confirming additional storage solutions.
Mr Duperouzel said the focus remained on ensuring products were delivered to farmer customers across WA in a safe and timely manner.
"The conveyor system, which was damaged in the fire, is critical to maximising storage and efficiencies of the port infrastructure," Mr Duperouzel said.
"Without it, storage capacity and supply chain efficiency reduces.
"We are working very closely with the Fremantle Ports Authority who own this asset to ensure repair and replace works can be prioritised, however this is not a quick fix."
Nutrien's four other storage depots at Geraldton, Albany, Esperance and Henderson, are receiving and dispatching product and operating as usual.
Separately, its Liquid Bulk N fertiliser storage and chemical manufacturing (Genfarm) facilities were not affected by the fire incident.
Mr Duperouzel said a shipping plan was in place this season with ships currently on the water or with sail times planned.
"We are assessing the damage to our site and working closely with Fremantle Ports to confirm new access routes, adjusted shipping schedules and alternate storage solutions to ensure we minimise any impact to our supply chain," he said.
"I want to thank our growers for their co-operation and patience while we put contingency plans in place this week to ensure our products continue to be dispatched across the State.
"We will continue to keep you updated and we encourage our customers to talk to their local branch about their input needs."
