The success of a tank lining project lies on many factors including internal design to prevent corrosion a well written specification lining selection an experienced contractor and of course continuous coatings inspection throughout the project. This paper will report the story of a tank located in the northwestern part of Mexico where many of these factors were neglected causing premature severe corrosion of the inside structures; after only seven years in service there was generalized corrosion on the roof and supporting structures. With the added unfortunate event of a natural disaster that caused a major failure of the tank. This paper includes an economic analysis of the costs of the original project and of the consequences of the major failure including the related inspection costs that might have prevented all of this from happening.