KINETICA ENERGY EXPRESS LLC
gas_transmission Incident — — August 12, 2015
Incident Information
| Incident Date | August 12, 2015 |
| Operator | KINETICA ENERGY EXPRESS LLC |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 28.58000, -91.87067 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | INTERNAL CORROSION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $0 |
| Emergency Response | $1,600 |
| Other Costs | $265,000 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
PLATFORM OPERATOR FOR ENERGY XXI CONTACTED KINETICA ENERGY EXPRESS PIPELINE OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR ON 8/12/2015 STATING THAT BUBBLES HAD BEEN SPOTTED ON THE WATER'S SURFACE ABOUT 1/2 MILE FROM THEIR PLATFORM. KINETICA PERSONNEL WERE DISPATCHED VIA HELICOPTER TO THE PLATFORM IN ORDER TO ISOLATE PIPELINE. AT 14:00, PLATFORM VALVES WERE CLOSED TO ISOLATE PRODUCTION FROM THE PIPELINE. PRESSURE WAS MONITORED TO DETERMINE IF LEAK WAS IN FACT ON KINETICA'S PIPELINE. AT 14:42, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT LEAK WAS ON KINETICA'S LINE. ARRANGEMENTS WERE MADE WITH PRODUCER TO RELIEVE PRESSURE FROM THE PIPELINE TO 70 PSIG SO DIVERS COULD WORK ON PIPELINE AT LEAK LOCATION. DIVE VESSEL WAS PROCURED AND DISPATCHED TO THE AREA. UPON ARRIVAL IN THE AREA, FIRST CLOSED SUB-SEA TIE-IN VALVE IN PREPARATION OF PIPELINE REPAIR. DIVER EXCAVATED LEAK AREA AND REMOVED CONCRETE COATING FROM PIPE. DIVER IDENTIFIED A SMALL PINHOLE LEAK. THE GENERAL AREA HAD UT INSPECTION PERFORMED, AND NO INDICATIONS OF GENERALIZED CORROSION WERE IDENTIFIED. A REPAIR CLAMP WAS INSTALLED. THE PLATFORM VALVES WERE RE-OPENED. PLATFORM OPERATOR WAS ASKED TO BEGIN PRODUCTION INTO THE LINE TO INCREASE PRESSURE WHILE DIVE VESSEL MONITORED FOR LEAKS. AFTER THE INITIAL PRESSURIZATION, THE PIPELINE WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE IN INCREMENTAL STEPS WHILE DIVE VESSEL CONTINUALLY MONITORED LOCATION FOR SIGNS OF LEAK. AFTER DETERMINING THAT THE REPAIR WAS SUCCESSFUL, THE DIVE VESSEL DEPARTED LOCATION.
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.