SHELL PIPELINE CORP
gas_transmission Incident — — October 31, 2014
Incident Information
| Incident Date | October 31, 2014 |
| Operator | SHELL PIPELINE CORP |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 28.01883, -92.25433 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | NON-THREADED CONNECTION FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $600,000 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $20,000 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
OFFSHORE NATURAL GAS GATHERING PIPELINE INSULATING GASKET FAILURE ON THE RISER AT THE TERMINUS OF THE PIPELINE SEGMENT. INSULATING GASKET WAS LOCATED IN THE SPLASH ZONE AT PLUS 12 OF THE PLATFORM. GASKET REPLACED WITH STAINLESS STEEL RTJ GASKET 11/16. DETERMINED THE INSULATING GASKET HAD WORN DOWN DUE TO MULTIPLE BLASTING AND PAINTING SINCE ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION IN 1994. GASKET HAD ERODED REDUCING THE AREA OF THE INSULATING GASKET TO HOLD MAINLINE PRESSURE. BEGAN FILLING THE LINE SEGMENT 11/17. PERFORMED PRESSURE STAND UP ON SYSTEM 11/19. STARTED UP THE PIPELINE SYSTEM ON 11/21. NOTES 4/27/15 PIPELINE RELEASE LOCATION ON VR-397 PLATFORM WAS FLOWN OVER BY HELICOPTER ON 11/1/14 AT 10:35HRS TO VERIFY FLANGE GASKET FAILURE. NOT ALLOWED TO LAND ON PLATFORM DUE TO UNSAFE AIR MONITORING CONDITIONS. 2/21/15 - PLANNED SHUTDOWN TO RE-SURFACE FLANGE FACES AND INSTALL AN ANSI 900 VERY CRITICAL SERVICE FIRE (VCSF) PIKOTEK INSULATING GASKET KIT. LINE FILLED AND RETURNED TO OPERATION 4/9/15.
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.