Cape Town's Biggest Industrial Site

In Cape Town, I visited the biggest industrial site in Western Cape Province: Chevron's refinery. By global standards, it is small, turning out about 100,000 barrels per day. However, this particular refinery has long been seen as a strategic asset, a key refueling point for navies sailing around the southern tip of Africa.

Built in the 1960s, a lot has been added and replaced since. Because of this, birthdays for refineries can be deceptive. The refinery is a jumble of pipes, towers, and machinery. It is here where the magic of converting crude oil into useful products such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel takes place. This extremely complex process can be dangerous. Refineries have a tendency to blow up every now and then.