"MID-ALASKA PIPELINE, LLC"

Incident Narrative

"MID-ALASKA PIPELINE'S SYSTEM TRANSPORTS CRUDE OIL BETWEEN THE TRANS ALASKA PIPELINE SYSTEM (OPERATED BY ALYESKA) AND THE NORTH POLE REFINERY OPERATED BY PETRO STAR INC. (PSI). DURING A PLANNED NORTH POLE REFINERY SHUTDOWN AT APPROXIMATELY 4:00PM ON 5/17/25, THE MID-ALASKA PIPELINE (MAP) OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR OBSERVED A DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE ALARM AND GAS DETECTION ALARM ON A REMOTE COMPUTER. THE MAP OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED PETRO STAR NORTH POLE REFINERY AND AND DROVE TO THE METERING BUILDING, WHEN HE ARRIVED AT APPROXIMATE 4:20PM, HE CONFIRMED THE AUDIBLE GAS ALARM BUT COULD NOT GAIN ENTRY DUE TO ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS, NO LIQUID WAS OBSERVED THROUGH THE WINDOWS. AT 4:28PM THE MAP OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR CALLED THE PETRO STAR CONTROL AND STATED THAT HE WAS MANUALLY SHUTTING IN AND DIRECTED PETRO STAR TO STOP THE RETURN OIL LINE (AS PART OF PETRO STAR'S ANNUAL SHUTDOWN PROCESS THEY STOP THE INCOMING CRUDE AND RETURN OIL PIPELINES INITIALLY AND THEN BEGIN TO REINJECT OIL INTO TAPS USING THE RETURN OIL LINE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME). 911 WAS NOTIFIED AT 5:18PM (NO RESPONSE FROM EMERGENCY SERVICES WAS REQUIRED). ADDITIONAL MAP RESPONSE PERSONNEL ARRIVE ONSITE AT 6:22PM WITH THE MOBILE COMMAND ARRIVING APPROXIMATELY 6:45PM. COMMAND WAS ESTABLISH AND RECON PERFORMED ON ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS INSIDE THE BUILDING WHICH PREVENTED ENTRY UNTIL APPROXIMATELY 8:27PM, WHEN LIQUID OIL WAS CONFIRMED NEAR THE METERING SKID. VISUAL INSPECTION SHOWED A FAILED NIPPLE CONNECTED TO THE METER RUN 210 STRAINER. THE BUILDING AND SITE WAS SECURED AND ALLOWED TO VENT OVER NIGHT. CLEANUP BEGAN ON 5/18/25 WITH MID-ALASKA PIPELINE PERSONNEL USING A PNEUMATIC PUMP TO PUMP STANDING OIL IN THE METERING SKID TO THE BUILDING SUMP, WHERE IT WAS REMOVED BY A REPUBLIC SERVICES VACUUM TRUCK AND PLACED BACK INTO THE REFINERY'S PROCESS SYSTEM. THE REMAINING SURFACES WERE CLEANED VIA HAND WITH ABSORBS AND CLEANER, PLACED IN CONTAINMENT DRUMS AND PROVIDED TO REPUBLIC SERVICES FOR PROPER DISPOSAL. AFTER CLEAN UP THE BUILDING WAS VISUALLY INSPECTED ON 5/22/25. THE FAILED THREADED NIPPLE ON THE STRAINER WAS REPLACED, ALONG WITH ALL OTHER LIKE NIPPLES ON EACH OF THE FOUR STRAINERS INSIDE THE BUILDING. PERSONNEL ALSO VERIFIED BOLTS, INCLUDING PROPER TORQUE ON FLANGE BOLT UPS. A RANDOM SAMPLING OF BOLTS WERE REMOVED AND MAG PARTICLE AND ULTRA SONIC TESTED FOR DEFECTS. NO DEFECTS ON BOLTS WERE FOUND. ON MAY 29TH, 2025, THE BUILDING PIPING WAS ISOLATED FROM THE MAINLINES AND AN OPERATIONAL LEAK TEST WAS PERFORMED. THE PRESSURE WAS HELD IN STEPS AT APPROXIMATELY 25%, 50%, AND 75% OF TEST PRESSURE FOR A MINIMUM OF TEN MINUTES. AN OPERATIONAL LEAK TEST OF 1375 PSI + 50 / - 0 PSI WAS PERFORMED WITH PRESSURE HOLDING FOR 1 HOUR. THE ENTIRE SYSTEM, INCLUDING THE PIPELINES WAS BROUGHT TO NORMAL OPERATING PRESSURE FROM THE TRANS ALASKA PIPELINE CONNECTION THE MORNING OF MAY 30TH, WITH FLOW AND NORMAL OPERATIONS STARTING THAT AFTERNOON."