On May 26th, 2026, a white liquor tank ruptured at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview, Washington. So far there have been two confirmed casualties, and several people are still reported missing with the likely death toll rising to eleven people; making this incident one of the deadliest industrial incidents in North America in recent history.
There are no official statements regarding the cause of the incident and the total damages. Available evidence in press releases, however, is consistent with the catastrophic failure of the white liquor tank. The tank was reported to be at 60% capacity at the time of failure, causing millions of liters of white liquor (a strongly alkaline solution composed mainly of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide) to be released. The failure appears to have occurred mid-lower on the white liquor tank, in some published images it is possible to see the tank collapsed with what appear to be large sections of the tank shell deformed outward.
Credible corrosion‑related damage mechanisms exist in white‑liquor service and may have contributed to the recent failure event. Mill engineers can reassess similar assets handling white liquor, including inspection scope, frequency, and coverage of known degradation modes.
The root cause of each of these mechanisms is different, and there are always multiple contributing factors: process upsets and changes, human error, improper maintenance, improper inspection and damage modes not anticipated by inspections. The corrosion group at FPInnovations is well-informed and has performed exhaustive research on the root cause of failures of white liquor tanks for decades. As knowledge of the events in the Longview Mill unfolds, we will keep you posted.
Please contact us if you have any questions. Over time, we have generated additional resources in the form of reports and TIPS providing information on damage mechanisms, and industry best practices. Please give us a shout if you would like to receive copies.
For more information contact
Matthew Tunnicliffe,
matthew.tunnicliffe@fpinnovations.ca