EXXONMOBIL OIL CORPORATION

hazardous_liquid Incident —

Incident Information

Report Date
OperatorEXXONMOBIL OIL CORPORATION
Commodity—
Pipeline Typehazardous_liquid

Location

State
Coordinates30.05933, -94.05926

Cause

CauseCORROSION FAILURE
Subcause—

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage
Lost Commodity
Public/Private Damage
Emergency Response
Environmental Remediation
Other Costs

Location Map

Incident Narrative

AT 9:12 A.M. ON OCTOBER 15, 2023, THE OPERATIONS CONTROL CENTER (OCC) RECEIVED A CALL FROM ARKEMA STATING THERE WAS A RELEASE OCCURRING FROM MC-49A ETHYLENE LINE ON THE RIGHT-OF-WAY OUTSIDE OF ARKEMA. IMMEDIATELY AFTER BEING NOTIFIED BY ARKEMA, OCC ALERTED THE ON-DUTY BEAUMONT OPERATIONS FIRST LINE SUPERVISOR (FLS). THE OPERATION FLS PERFORMED A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE PIPELINE. THE SOURCE OF THE RELEASE WAS LOCATED AT 9:38 AM. THE OPERATIONS FLS CALLED FOR ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL TO ASSIST IN ISOLATING THE SEGMENT. MANUAL VALVE #40736 WAS CLOSED BY 11:00 AM; THIS SUCCESSFULLY ISOLATED THE SEGMENT FROM SOURCE PRESSURE. THE ISOLATED SECTION OF THE PIPE WAS FLARED DOWN UNTIL LINE PRESSURE REACHED 0 PSI. DURING THIS EVENT, 250 POUNDS (2.04 BARRELS) OF ETHYLENE WERE RELEASED DUE TO ATMOSPHERIC CORROSION LOCATED AROUND A PINHOLE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ABOVEGROUND 6"" PIPE. AT THE TIME OF THE RELEASE, THE PIPELINE WAS INACTIVE. THE INVESTIGATION HAS CONCLUDED. OPERATIONS REPLACED THE PIPE SEGMENT IMPACTED BY THE ATMOSPHERIC CORROSION. ADDITIONALLY, A VALVE HAS BEEN INSTALLED TO CLARIFY THE DEMARCATION POINT.

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.

Back to All Incidents More Incidents in