BUCKEYE PARTNERS, LP

Incident Narrative

ON 3/30/2023 AT APPROXIMATELY 12:47 PM A BUCKEYE OPERATOR WAS PERFORMING ROUTINE ROUNDS WHEN HE DISCOVERED STAINED AND SOILED STONE WITH SMALL PUDDLING AROUND THE CHIME AREA OF TANK 17A LOCATED AT 85 EAST STREET TERMINAL, NEW HAVEN, CT. THE OPERATOR IMMEDIATELY MADE ALL INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL NOTIFICATIONS. THE TANK WAS IN A STATIC STATE AND NOT IN USE AT THE TIME. OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION AND SAFETY THE CONTROL CENTER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE LINE WAS SHUT DOWN. APPROXIMATE TOTAL OF 30 BARRELS OF DIESEL FUEL SLOWLY SEEPED FROM THE BOTTOM CHIME AREA AROUND THE TANK. THE TANK WAS IMMEDIATELY EMPTIED OF EXISTING PRODUCT, ISOLATED AND REMOVED FROM SERVICE. ALL ALL STAINED AND SOILED STONE WERE REMOVED AND PROPERLY DISPOSED OF. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE RELEASE WAS A RESULT OF INTERNAL CORROSION INSIDE THE TANK ON THE TOPSIDE OF THE FLOOR AT THE CORNER WELD AREA WHERE INTERNAL FLOOR COATING CRACKED AND ALLOWED WATER TO CONTACT THE STEEL. THE TANK WILL REMAIN OUT OF SERVICE. A SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT WILL BE SUBMITTED WITH UPDATED COST OF DAMAGE AND REPAIRS. 7/10/2023 TANK HAS BEEN CLEANED AND SEVERAL AREAS OF THE FLOOR WILL BE CUT OUT AND SENT TO THIRD PARTY FOR METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS. ANOTHER SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT WILL BE SUBMITTED AFTER RESULTS. 11/7/2023 THIRD PARTY METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS INDICATED CORROSION TO THE TANK BOTTOM WAS CAUSED BY WATER PENETRATING THE INTERSTITIAL SPACE OF THE TANK FLOORS. ESTIMATED COST TO REPAIR THE TANK IS APPROXIMATELY $400,000-500,000. BUCKEYE HAS DECIDED THE TANK WILL REMAIN IDLE AND OUT OF SERVICE WITH NO PLANS TO REPAIR OR PLACE BACK IN SERVICE.