DOD DEFENSE ENERGY SUPPORT CENTER

Incident Narrative

ON 6/27/23, APEX WAS RUNNING A CLEANING PIG THROUGH AN OUT-OF-SERVICE NAVY PIPELINE (OSFM LINE #0911) THAT TRAVERSES PORT OF LOS ANGELES (POLA) PROPERTY. THE WORK WAS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER US NAVY - (NAVFAC) CONTRACT. APEX IS A SUBCONTRACTOR TO POND CONSTRUCTORS, AND POND HAS A CONTRACT WITH THE US NAVY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE WORK WAS TO PREPARE THE PIPELINE FOR IN-PLACE ABANDONMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE OFFICE OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHALL, CALFIRE. PRESSURIZED NITROGEN GAS WAS INJECTED INTO THE PIPELINE AT THE HARBOR REGAN VALVE STATION TO PROPEL THE FOAM PIG THROUGH THE PIPELINE. AS THE FOAM PIG IS PUSHED THROUGH THE LINE VIA NITROGEN GAS PRESSURE, RESIDUAL LIQUIDS CONTAINED IN THE LINE WERE DISPLACED TO THE PIPELINE TERMINUS (NEAR LOS ANGELES FIRE STATION 112 LOCATED TO THE SOUTH) WHERE A VACUUM TRUCK WAS CONNECTED TO THE LINE TO RECEIVE THE LIQUIDS. HOWEVER, JUST AS THE FIELD TEAM WAS COMPLETING THE PIGGING PROCESS, THEY WERE NOTIFIED THAT DIESEL/JET FUEL HAD BREACHED THE ASPHALT PAVEMENT IN A PARKING LOT/DRIVE AREA NEAR THE USS IOWA BERTH 87 (250 S. HARBOR BLVD. SAN PEDRO, CA 90731). THE POINT OF RELEASE WAS APPROXIMATELY 125 FEET WEST OF THE MAIN CHANNEL OF THE POLA. UPON BEING NOTIFIED OF THE RELEASE, APEX DEPLOYED A FIELD CREW AND VACUUM TRUCK TO THE RELEASE LOCATION. IMMEDIATE RESPONSE ACTIONS INCLUDED DELINEATING THE RESPONSE AREA, DEPLOYING ABSORBENT MATERIALS TO CONTROL THE SURFACE FLOW OF THE LIQUIDS, USE OF A VACUUM TRUCK TO RECOVER STANDING LIQUIDS, APPLIED ABSORBENT MATERIAL TO STABILIZE AND CONTAIN RESIDUAL LIQUIDS, MOBILIZED AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE CONTRACTOR TO PERFORM AN INSPECTION UNDERNEATH THE DOCK TO INSPECT FOR SIGNS OF SHEEN OR FUEL RELEASE (NO IMPACTS OBSERVED), AGENCY NOTIFICATIONS TO CAL OES AND NRC, AND COORDINATING WITH FIRST RESPONDERS. THERE WAS A LARGE, MULTI-AGENCY RESPONSE, INCLUDING THE LA FIRE DEPARTMENT, LA HAZMAT, HARBOR PATROL, OFFICE OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL, AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NAVY. OES WAS CONTACTED ON 6/27/23 AT 1:11 PM TO REPORT THE RELEASE (LESS THAN 200 GALLONS OF DIESEL/JET FUEL). OES CONTROL NUMBER 23-4135 (NUMBER WAS MODIFIED BY OES FROM 23-4137 TO 23-4135). NRC NO. 137-1434. THE OES PROVIDES AUTOMATIC NOTIFICATIONS TO OTHER STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES, INCLUDING THE LOS ANGELES REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD (RWQCB). APEX COORDINATED PERMITS AND AUTHORIZATIONS TO EXPOSE THE DAMAGED SECTION OF THE PIPELINE (INCLUDING EMERGENCY PERMITS FROM THE HARBOR DEPARTMENT, NOTIFYING DIG-ALERT, AND CONTACTING THE SOUTH COAST AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT. THE PIPELINE WAS EXPOSED, AND THE RELEASE POINT WAS LOCATED. BASED ON VISUAL OBSERVATIONS OF THE DAMAGE, THE 2-INCH HOLE OBSERVED ON THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE PIPELINE WAS CAUSED BY UNREPORTED THIRD-PARTY DRILLING THROUGH THE LINE. THE PIPELINE WAS EXPOSED AROUND THE POINT OF RELEASE SO THAT THE PIPE COULD BE REPAIRED FOR LINE PIGGING. THE REPAIR WAS MADE BY INSTALLING AN 18-INCH REPAIR COUPLING. AFTER THE REPAIR WAS COMPLETED, THE DECISION WAS MADE BY NAVFAC TO SLURRY FILL LINE 0911. A 2-INCH FILL PORT WAS INSTALLED ON THE LINE WITHIN THE EXCAVATED AREA SO THAT LINE COULD BE FILLED WITH A LOW-DENSITY CELLULAR CONCRETE. THE CELLULAR CONCRETE MIX WAS DESIGNED TO ACT AS A CLEANING PIG TO DISPLACE ANY TRAPPED LIQUIDS IN THE LINE. THE CEMENT SLURRY WAS MIXED ONSITE AND INJECTED INTO THE PIPELINE BY CELLCRETE CORPORATION. AS THE LINE FILLED WITH SLURRY, LIQUIDS TRAPPED IN THE LINE WERE RECOVERED AT THE PIPE ENDS VIA A VACUUM TRUCK. AFTER THE LINE WAS FILLED WITH SLURRY & ALL LIQUIDS REMOVED, SITE RESTORATION WAS INITIATED. AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE SOIL SURROUNDING THE RELEASE POINT WAS CONDUCTED. BASED ON THE ASSESSMENT RESULTS, ADDITIONAL SOIL WAS EXCAVATED FROM THE RELEASE AREA. THE REMEDIAL EXCAVATION WORK WAS CONDUCTED UNDER THE OVERSIGHT FROM THE RWQCB AND POLA. AFTER COMPLETION OF THE REMEDIAL EXCAVATION, THE SITE WAS BACKFILLED, REPAVED, AND RESTORED TO THE ORIGINAL SITE CONDITIONS.