PANTHER OPERATING COMPANY, LLC

Incident Narrative

ON 7/24/2024 AT 08:18 PANTHER OPERATING COMPANY (POC) WAS CONTACTED BY LOUISIANA OIL SPILL COORDINATOR OFFICE (LOSCO) STATING THEY WERE INVESTIGATING AN UNKNOWN SHEEN IN VERMILION BAY. POC OPERATES A CRUDE OIL PIPELINE IN VERMILION BAY, AND LOSCO ASKED IF WE HAD SEEN ANY ANOMALIES. THE PIPELINE HAS BEEN IDLED AND ISOLATED SINCE FEBRUARY 14, 2024POC MOBILIZED THIRD PARTY CONTRACTED BOATS AND AERIAL PATROL (OSRO WAS ES&H), WHICH ARRIVED ON SITE ON 7/24/24 AT 12:15 AND LOCATED THE SHEEN BUT DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS NO RECOVERABLE PRODUCT ON THE WATER SURFACE. SHORTLY AFTER ARRIVING ON SCENE BOTH THE HELICOPTER AND BOATS HAD TO LEAVE THE AREA DUE TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE BAY. AS A PRECAUTION ON 7/24/24, OPERATIONS DRAINED THE PIPELINE DOWN AT ERATH STATION TO A PRESSURE OF 3 PSI. BETWEEN 07/24/24'07/26/24, BOTH BOATS AND HELICOPTER WERE DEPLOYED TO THE SHEEN LOCATION AND OBSERVING A SMALL LIGHT SHEEN EACH DAY (NO RECOVERABLE PRODUCT ON THE WATER SURFACE), BUT EACH DAY HAD TO LEAVE SHORTLY AFTER ARRIVING TO THE BAY DUE TO THUNDERSTORMS COMING INTO THE AREA. ON 07/27/24 CREWS USED SIDE SCAN SONAR AND HYDROGRAPH ON THE SUSPECTED AREA AND DOCUMENTED SEVERAL DRAG SCARS ALONG THE BOTTOM IN THE SUSPECTED LEAK LOCATION. ON 07/29/24, A DIVE BOAT WAS MOBILIZED AND ARRIVED ON SITE TO START INVESTIGATING. WHEN THE DIVERS STARTED TO JET THE SEABED, THE PIPE WAS BURIED AT A DEPTH OF 8-10 FT. BETWEEN 7/29/24'7/31/24 DIVERS WERE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY AN ACTIVE LEAK, AND NO SHEEN HAD BEEN SPOTTED SINCE 7/27/24. ON 8/1/24 AT 17:07 THE RELEASE LOCATION WAS IDENTIFIED ON THE PIPE. A CALL WAS PLACED TO THE NRC AT 17:16, NRC# 1406611. A PLIDCO CLAMP WAS INSTALLED ON 8/2/24 ON THE LEAK LOCATION AND PRESSURE TESTED TO OPERATING PRESSURE, AFTER THE SUCCESSFUL TEST THE PIPELINE PRESSURE WAS BLED DOWN AGAIN TO 3 PSI. BETWEEN 7/24/24 AND 8/1/24 APPROXIMATELY 6.4 BARRELS WAS RELEASE.