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A leak from a tank holding 3.5 million litres of petrol has been contained at an oil refinery surrounded by wetlands in Melbourne.
The massive Mobil tank at Altona, in Melbourne's west, began leaking just before late Monday night (AEDT), setting off an alarm that alerted the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB).
Between 20,000 and 30,000 litres of petrol leaked.
Mobil spokesman Alan Bailey said the escaped petrol had been contained within a walled area surrounding the tank.
The remaining petrol in the tank is being pumped into another tank, while the leaked fuel, which has been covered with foam to prevent evaporation, will be recovered separately.
Mr Bailey said the cause of the leak would be investigated.
'Every refinery operating has issues from time to time with product leaking out of various parts of the refinery but I'm not aware of any particular issues with that tank,' he told AAP on Tuesday.
'There is no risk, we believe, to the environment. It's all contained within the refinery boundaries.'
The leak would not cause significant disruption to the refinery's operations, he said.
MFB spokeswoman Christina Bucci said petrol had not seeped into any drains and air quality had not been affected.
'We would just like to re-assure residents in the area that all is safe and the situation is under control,' Ms Bucci told AAP on Tuesday.
Draining of the petrol is expected to be completed on Tuesday morning.
Mobil and the MFB will then clean the area.
The refinery is surrounded by wetlands.
Kororoit Creek, which flows directly into Port Phillip Bay, is on the refinery's southern boundary.
There is no housing near the refinery.
EPA Victoria's director of environmental services Bruce Dawson said the authority would investigate the cause of the leak and what action Mobil should undertake to prevent a similar incident in the future.
'There has not been any impact on the surrounding environment. Nevertheless, it is concerning that a large tank like this can leak,' he told AAP.
