"MID-ALASKA PIPELINE, LLC"

Incident Narrative

"MID-ALASKA PIPELINE'S SYSTEM TRANSPORTS CRUDE OIL BETWEEN THE TRANS ALASKA PIPELINE (OPERATED BY ALYESKA) AND THE NORTH POLE REFINERY OPERATED BY PETRO STAR INC. (PSI). AT 22:59 (AST) ON 11/23/24, PSI CALLED MAP AND NOTIFIED MAP OF A LEAK OCCURRING INSIDE MAP'S METERING BUILDING (PSIMS) LOCATED AT THE NORTH POLE REFINERY. MAP DIRECTED PSI TO BEGIN PIPELINE SHUTDOWN PROCEDURES (WHICH IS MAP'S STANDARD PROCEDURE FOR SHUTTING DOWN THE PIPELINE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION). MAP THEN IMMEDIATELY BEGAN INTERNAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE NOTIFICATIONS AND MOBILIZED THE INCIDENT COMMAND TEAM. THE PIPELINE WAS SHUT DOWN BY APPROXIMATELY 23:05. THE FIRST MAP PERSONNEL ARRIVED ONSITE AT ABOUT 23:25. MAP'S CPM DID NOT DETECT THE LEAK BECAUSE THE DENSITOMETERS ARE LOCATED A SHORT DISTANCE UPSTREAM OF THE METERS INSIDE THE METERING BUILDING. THE BUILDING HAS LOCAL GAS DETECTION ALARMS FOR LIFE SAFETY PURPOSES (AUDIBLE AND STROBE) WHICH DID ALARM AND ASSISTED IN ALARMING PETRO STAR PERSONNEL THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE INSIDE MAP'S BUILDING. AFTER RESPONSE PERSONNEL ARRIVED, ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS INSIDE THE BUILDING WERE TOO HAZARDOUS FOR ENTRY DUE TO THE CRUDE OIL VAPORS. THE OIL WAS PRIMARILY CONTAINED TO INSIDE THE BUILDING WITH A SMALL QUANTITY (ESTIMATED AT LESS THAN 1 GALLON) TRAVELING BETWEEN THE BUILDING'S EXTERIOR WALL AND SLAB ON GRADE ONTO THE CONCRETE APRON OR GRAVEL OUTSIDE THE BUILDING. IT TOOK SEVERAL HOURS FOR THE VAPORS TO SUBSIDE SUFFICIENTLY TO ALLOW PERSONNEL TO ENTER WITH PROPER PPE AND BEGAN ASSESSING THE SITUATION AND CLEAN UP. CLEAN UP BEGAN IMMEDIATELY ONCE ENTRY COULD BE MADE INTO THE BUILDING SAFELY. REPUBLIC SERVICES VAC TRUCK AND PERSONNEL WERE DISPATCHED AND ARRIVED ONSITE TO ASSIST. THE BULK OF THE CRUDE OIL WAS CLEANED AND THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK DETERMINED TO BE A DENSITOMETER INSTRUMENT WHICH WAS THEN ISOLATED FROM THE SYSTEM. AFTER SEVERAL OPERATIONAL LEAK TESTS AND HOLDS TO VERIFY THE SYSTEM WAS ACCEPTABLE FOR RESUMING OPERATIONS, THE SYSTEM WAS STARTED AT APPROXIMATELY 15:10 ON 11/24/24. CLEAN-UP CONTINUED FOR SEVERAL DAYS BY MAP AND REPUBLIC SERVICE PERSONNEL. THERE WILL BE INTERMITTENT CLEAN-UP INSIDE THE BUILDING AS SMALL AMOUNTS OF OIL SEEP FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF STATIONARY EQUIPMENT AND METERING SKIDS INSIDE THE BUILDING. AFTER ONSITE INVESTIGATION, MAP DETERMINED A DENSITOMETER INSTRUMENT INSIDE THE PSIMS BUILDING FAILED FOR CURRENTLY UNKNOWN REASONS AT APPROXIMATELY 22:24 ON 11/23/24. REVIEW OF THE SYSTEM DATA SHOWS NO ABNORMAL TEMPERATURES, PRESSURE, OR FLOWS AT TIME OF OPERATION. THE DENSITOMETER WAS SENT FOR ANALYSIS. THE ANALYSIS DETERMINED CYCLICAL FATIGUE IN THE BELLOWS OF THE DENSITOMETER WAS THE FAILURE POINT."