CHEVRON PIPE LINE CO

Incident Narrative

AT APPROX. 1420 CDT ON 21JUL22, WHILE CONDUCTING AN OVERFLIGHT FOR THE PIPELINE DE-OILING OPERATIONS OF 12"" SOUTH TIMBALIER 130 PIPELINE, WHEN A 75-FT BY 150-FT, LIGHT SILVER SHEEN WAS DISCOVERED. IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT LESS THAN 0.125 GALLONS OF CRUDE OIL RELEASED TO WATERS WHILE FLUSHING THE PIPELINE BEFORE REMOVAL. THE RELEASE WAS NOT RECOVERABLE NATURALLY DISSIPATED. AT APPROX. 06:30 ON 22JUL22, DIVERS BEGAN INSPECTING AN AREA OF THE 12' SOUTH TIMBALIER 130 PIPELINE NEAR THE LOCATION OF THE SHEEN OBSERVED ON 21JUL22 (NRC REPORT #1342172). DIVERS DISCOVERED A BURIED SECTION OF THE PIPE APPROXIMATELY 150' SOUTH OF WHERE THE PIPE WAS WRAPPED AROUND A FORMER CAISSON. DIVERS HAND JETTED APPROXIMATELY 12' BELOW NATURAL BOTTOM WITHOUT FINDING THE SOURCE. DECISION WAS MADE TO STOP HAND JETTING FOR SAFETY REASONS AND FIND ROUND PIPE UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM OF THE PROBLEM AREA TO INSTALL SLIP ON FLANGES TO BYPASS THE AREA. DURING THIS TIME, THE DIVERS NOTED THE PIPE WAS SEVERED ON THE SEAFLOOR APPROXIMATELY 300' SOUTH OF THE FORMER CAISSON (125' FROM THE BURIED PIPE). BEFORE DE-OILING OPERATIONS RESUMED, SLIP ON FLANGES WERE INSTALLED UPSTREAM (SOUTH OF THE SEVER) AND DOWNSTREAM (NORTH OF THE FORMER CAISSON) OF THE AREA AND THE LINE WAS DE-OILED IN TWO SEPARATE OPERATIONS. THE PIPELINE HAS BEEN INACTIVE SINCE HURRICANE IDA AND WAS DE-OILED OVER THE MONTHS OF JULY AND AUGUST 2022. THIS RELEASE IS A CONTINUED EFFORT TO DE-OIL PIPELINES DAMAGED IN THE GULF OF MEXICO BY HURRICANE IDA. ALL PIPELINES HAVE REMAINED IDLE BEFORE IDA TO PRESENT ACTIVITIES. CHEVRON PIPE LINE IS CONTINUING INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE CAUSE OF THE SEVERED PIPELINE.