HILCORP ALASKA, LLC
gas_transmission Incident — — April 27, 2019
Incident Information
| Incident Date | April 27, 2019 |
| Operator | HILCORP ALASKA, LLC |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 60.77644, -151.43330 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | EXTERNAL CORROSION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $1,500,000 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
DIVERS WERE CONDUCTING TACTILE INSPECTIONS OF A METAL LOSS ANOMALY IDENTIFIED BY A 2017 ILI WHEN THE DIVE BOAT NOTICED SMALL BUBBLES AT THE WATER SURFACE. UPON INVESTIGATION, DIVERS FOUND BUBBLES EMANATING FROM THE TOP OF THE PIPELINE NEAR A GIRTH WELD, LOCATED APPROXIMATELY FIVE FEET AWAY FROM THE ILI ANOMALY. PRODUCTION ON THE PLATFORM WAS SHUT-IN AND PIPELINE PRESSURE WAS REDUCED TO LIMIT THE LEAK TO THE FULLEST EXTENT WHILE MAINTAINING POSITIVE PRESSURE INSIDE THE PIPELINE. DIVERS BEGAN REPAIR ACTIVITIES, AND COMPLETED INSTALLATION OF A TEMPORARY CLAMP TO STOP THE LEAK WITHIN 24 HOURS OF DISCOVERY. THE INSTALLATION OF THE PERMANENT CLAMP TO REPAIR THE PIPELINE WAS COMPLETED ON MAY 24. HILCORP ALASKA SELECTED THE ONSHORE PIPELINE CLASSIFICATION IN PART B OF THIS REPORT. HOWEVER, HILCORP ALASKA AND PHMSA ARE CURRENTLY IN DISCUSSIONS REGARDING THE APPROPRIATE STATUS OF THE PIPELINE (ONSHORE VERSUS OFFSHORE).
About This Pipeline Incident
Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.