"PANTHER OPERATING COMPANY, LLC"

Incident Narrative

"DUE TO CHARACTER RESTRICTIONS IN THE PORTAL; SEE ORIGINAL SUBMISSION 20230301-38969 FOR ORIGINAL NARRATIVE. BETWEEN 12/15/23 (DUE DATE AND SUBMISSION OF ORIGINAL 7000-1) AND 12/28/23 THIRD COAST CONDUCTED ROV AND DIVE INSPECTIONS ALONG THE MPOG SYSTEM. AN AREA OF INTEREST; A PIPELINE CROSSING LOCATED JUST NORTH OF PLATFORM MP69 IN LOUISIANA STATE WATERS THAT INCLUDED A 2005 REPAIR WAS INSPECTED BY DIVERS. THE CROSSING HAD BEEN REPAIRED IN THE PAST DUE TO HURRICANE DAMAGE. THE REPAIR SPOOL COLLET GRIPS WERE INSPECTED, AND A LEAK TEST PREFORMED ON EACH ON 12/28/23. ONE COLLET GRIP CONNECTION (SOUTHERN END) FAILED THE LEAK TEST. AFTER THE FAILURE THE COLLET CONNECTION WAS INSPECTED BY THE DIVERS, AND IT WAS FOUND THAT THE SEAL ON THE COLLET GRIP HAD FAILED. BETWEEN 12/28/23 AND 02/10/24 A PLAN WAS DEVELOPED TO RECOVER THE SUSPECT FAILED COLLET GRIP SPOOL PIECE. ONCE THE PLAN WAS APPROVED, THIRD COAST EXPERIENCE SEVERAL WEATHER DELAYS THAT DELAYED THE CUTTING AND RECOVERY OPERATION OF THE PIPE PIECE. ON 2/10/24 THE PIPE PIECE REMOVED, RECOVERED, AND PRESERVED PER THE APPROVED PROCEDURE AND TRANSPORTED TO THE DOCK WHERE THE NTSB TOOK PROCESSION AND SENT OFF THE PIPE TO OIL STATES FOR ANALYSIS. A NEW SPOOL PIECE WAS FABRICATED, AND INSTALLATION OF THE SPOOL PIECE AND LEAK TEST OF THE CONNECTION FLANGES WAS COMPLETED ON 02/21/24. BETWEEN 02/21/24 AND 4/3/24 THE PIPELINE INTEGRITY TEST WAS DEVELOPED, SENT THROUGH APPROVALS OF THE UNIFIED COMMAND AND THE NATIONAL RESPONSE TEAM FOR REVIEW AND REVISIONS. DURING THIS TIME WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE MONITORED FOR AN ACCEPTABLE TIMEFRAME. ON 4/4/24 THROUGH 4/5/24 THE APPROVED INTEGRITY TEST WAS IMPLEMENTED SUCCESSFULLY. BETWEEN 04/12/24 AND 04/25/24 THE PIPELINE WAS BROUGHT BACK INTO SERVICE WITH EACH PRODUCER TURNED ON IN TURN VIA A PHMSA APPROVED RESTART PLAN. MPOG IS CONTINUING TO INVESTIGATE THE ESTIMATE OF OIL RELEASED DURING THE INCIDENT IN LIGHT OF THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RECENTLY MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE BY NTSB AS PART OF ITS INVESTIGATION. MPOG IS OF COURSE AWARE OF THE STATEMENTS CONTAINED IN THOSE MATERIALS RELATED TO THE ESTIMATED VOLUME OF OIL RELEASED. THOSE ESTIMATES ARE BASED ON METERING MEASUREMENTS ALONE. MPOG IS CONTINUING TO INVESTIGATE THE ACCURACY OF THE METERING DATA IN LIGHT OF THE IDENTIFIED SOURCE OF THE RELEASE AS DETERMINED BY NTSB AND THE POTENTIAL FOR THE RELEASE OF OIL FROM THAT IDENTIFIED SOURCE GIVEN THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE RECOVERED BY NTSB AS WELL AS THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED AT THE TIME OF THE RELEASE. UPDATE: 10/20/25 THREE INTERCONNECTED FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THE MECHANICAL CGF CONNECTOR AND SUBSEQUENT OIL RELEASE, INCLUDING: (1) ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS CHARACTERIZED BY HIGH WINDS AND WAVE ACTION AFFECTING THE SEABED, (2) SEABED GEOTECHNICAL DISTURBANCES SUCH AS SUBSIDENCE OR SHIFTING OF THE SEABED, AND (3) MECHANICAL FORCES ACTING ON THE PIPELINE, CAUSING PIPELINE MOVEMENT AND AN OVERSTRESSED CONDITION AND FAILURE OF THE CGF CONNECTOR."