The layout design for storage vessels is an important issue to keep safe process plants, since the accidents originated in storage areas are almost one-third of all reported accidents. In order to reduce fire and explosion damages different mathematical approaches have been proposed; however, most of them are not suitable for real storage facilities design. In this work, a MILP approach has been developed to find the optimal layout of storage vessels, seeking to minimize the cost associated with potential damage of fire and explosion. This approach allows allocation of suitable sites for storage vessels, reducing accidents propagation, and domino effect while keeping safety as much as possible the plant assets. In this way, the optimization approach provides substantial support for decision-makers during the design stage. The study case used to test the mathematical model considers 19 vessels, six buildings, five process facilities and 25 possible scenarios, which includes 16 fires and 9 explosions. (C) 2018 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.