At first this story left me cold, but I slowly warmed to it.

Inappropriate humor aside, I've worked with refineriers in countries with large temperature swings for 30+ years. Some of my first important calculations were dealing with accurately calculating fluid masses based on ambient conditions. The sun hitting the side of a big tank for a few hours will change the level.

This is not just an issue of corruption, it is also an issue of safety. A giant tank of anything without a retaining wall built around it is criminally negligent.