TENNESSEE GAS PIPELINE CO (EL PASO)
gas_transmission Incident — — June 14, 2011
Incident Information
| Incident Date | June 14, 2011 |
| Operator | TENNESSEE GAS PIPELINE CO (EL PASO) |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 29.04717, -90.22933 |
Cause
| Cause | MATERIAL FAILURE OF PIPE OR WELD |
| Subcause | ENVIRONMENTAL CRACKING-RELATED |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $306,000 |
| Emergency Response | $4,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
TENNESSEE GAS PIPELINE (TGP) WAS NOTIFIED ON JUNE 14, 2011, BY BOEMRE AND BY A PRODUCER, STONE ENERGY, OF BUBBLES ON THE OCS IN BAY MAR BLOCK 5, THE COORDINATES OF WHICH INDICATED THEY WERE COMING FROM TGP'S PIPELINE FACILITY. UPON INVESTIGATION, DIVERS REMOVED PROTECTIVE MATS FROM A SUBSEA TIE-IN ASSEMBLY ON TGP'S 524C-400 PIPELINE AND FOUND A CRACK IN THE NECK OF A 2"" FLANGE THAT WAS PART OF THE TIE-IN OF AN INTERSECTING PIPELINE. REPAIRS WERE MADE AND THE PIPELINE FACILITY WAS PLACED BACK INTO SERVICE. METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS CONCLUDED THAT THE CRACK IN THE WELD OF THE 2"" FLANGE WAS LIKELY DUE TO OVERLOAD FRACTURE DUE TO EXTERNAL BENDING AND/OR TENSILE FORCES. SUCH FORCES WERE POSSIBLY CAUSED BY INSTABILITY OF THE SUBSEA FLOOR AND CONCRETE MATS PLACED OVER ASSEMBLY AT TIME OF CONSTRUCTION. YEAR OF PIPE MANUFACTURE IS ASSUMED TO BE COMMENSURATE WITH YEAR OF INSTALLATION.
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.