HIGH POINT GAS GATHERING, LLC

Incident Narrative

ON 11/04/22 AT APPROXIMATELY 5:45AM A THIRD-PARTY OPERATOR WHILE CONDUCTING UNDER WATER (770FT) INSPECTIONS WITH A REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLE (ROV) ON THEIR SUBSEA TIE-IN WITHIN 20 FEET OF OUR PIPE AND VALVE SITE; NOTICED BUBBLES COMING FROM A HOT TAP COMPLETION VALVE ON OUR (HIGH POINT GAS GATHERING) MC 109 LATERAL (BSEE 14970). THE OPERATOR CONTACTED OUR ENGINEERS TO REPORT THE RELEASE. FROM REPORTS THE BUBBLES BEING RELEASE ARE MINOR. THE AREA WAS FLOWN, AND NO BUBBLES WERE VISIBLE ON THE WATER SURFACE. THIS WAS ALSO CONFIRMED BY THE BOAT PRESENT ON LOCATION. CONTROL CENTER DID NOT SEE A PRESSURE DROP EITHER. AT 10:30AM IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE MONETARY AMOUNT FOR REPAIR WOULD EXCEED THE THRESHOLD FOR IMMEDIATE NOTIFICATION AND A CALL WAS PLACED TO THE NRC AT 10:53AM ON 11/04/22 (NRC # 1351712). ON 11/07/22 AT 7:10AM A 48HR UPDATE TO THE NRC WAS PLACED (NRC# 1351906). ON 11/18/22 A SATURATION DIVE CREW ARRIVED ON SITE TO PREFORM WORK FOR THE OPERATOR THAT IDENTIFIED THE RELEASE WITHIN 20FT OF THE RELEASE. HIGH POINT GAS GATHERING WAS ABLE TO CONTRACT THE DIVE CREW TO INVESTIGATE AND REPORT ON THE RELEASE. THE PIN HOLE LEAK SEEMS TO BE COMING FROM THE STOPPLE WELD-O-LET. DUE TO THE DEPTH (770FT) AND THE AVAILABILITY OF DIVE BOAT/CREWS AND MINIMAL SIZE OF THE RELEASE; REPAIR PLANS/LOGISTICS ARE STILL BEING DEVELOPED AND SUBMITTED TO BSEE FOR APPROVAL. APPROXIMATELY 0.601 MCF OF NATURAL GAS HAS BEEN RELEASED. A SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT WILL BE FILED ONCE REPAIRS ARE COMPLETE. *UPDATE* 10/29/24 AFTER BEING DELAYED BY THE MULTIPLE HURRICANES AND STORMS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, WE WERE ABLE TO GET ON SCENE AND GET DIVERS DOWN TO THE 792FT AT THE END OF THE WEEK OF OCT 14TH. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, DUE TO UNFAVORABLE WEATHER CONDITIONS STARTING OCT 22 WE HAD TO LEAVE THE AREA. DIVERS WERE ABLE TO CONFIRM THAT THE LEAK HAS NOT WORSEN AND IS STILL A VERY MINOR LEAK (NO BUBBLES REACHING THE SURFACE AND NO SHEEN). THE CREW WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE SOME PREPARATIONS FOR THE REPAIR BUT HAD TO LEAVE DUE TO WEATHER. AGAIN, DUE TO THE DEPTH, TIME OF YEAR, LEAK SIZE, WEATHER CONDITIONS I DO NOT HAVE A TIME FRAME FOR 2024 AND WILL LIKELY MOVE INTO SPRING 2025. REPAIR PLAN WILL BE TO INSTALL A TEMPORARY LAUNCHER, INSERT A STOPPLE IN THE TRAP, PUSH IT TO JUST PAST THE LEAKING FLANGE, ENGAGE THE STOPPLE, REPLACE THE LEAKING COMPONENT, DISENGAGE THE STOPPLE, AND LET THE PRODUCT PRESSURE PUSH THE STOPPLE BACK INTO THE TRAP, REMOVE THE LAUNCHER REPLACE BLIND FLANGE.