BUCKEYE PARTNERS, LP

Incident Narrative

AT 13:30 ON NOVEMBER 22, 2020 AN EMPLOYEE OF CONOCO PHILLIPS REFINERY, ROXANNA ILL, NOTIFIED SEVERAL PIPELINE OPERATORS, INCLUDING BUCKEYE, OF AN ODOR AND SHEEN ON THE WATER IN THE NORFOLK SOUTHERN RAIL ROAD DRAINAGE DITCH. BUCKEYE'S 180 LINE WAS ON A SCHEDULED SHUT DOWN AT THE TIME THE EXPECTED RELEASE WAS REPORTED. VALVES UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM OF THE REFINERY WERE IMMEDIATELY CLOSED AND POTHOLING AND EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATION BEGUN. BUCKEYE CONFIRMED THE LEAK WAS FROM OUR WO180XX, 6"" PIPELINE AT 11:35 ON NOVEMBER 24, 2020. THE NRC AND WAS NOTIFIED ON NOVEMBER 24, 2020 AT 12:28 (REPORT NUMBER 1292933). EXTENSIVE BOOMING AND SHORING WAS UNDERTAKEN TO INSURE LEAK CONTAINMENT. AN ESTIMATED 47 BBLS WAS RELEASED, TO DATE 17, BBLS HAVE BEEN RECOVERED. THE AFFECTED SEGMENT OF PIPE HAS BEEN REMOVED AND SENT FOR METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS. A NEW SECTION OF PIPE WAS INSTALLED AND THE PIPELINE RETURNED TO SERVICE ON DECEMBER 2, 2020. THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE RELEASE IS PENDING AND WILL BE PROVIDED BY ENTERING A SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT UPON COMPLETION OF THE METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS UPDATE 1/8/2020: DISCOVERY TIME AND ARRIVAL TIME MODIFIED UPDATE 6/1/2020: METALLURGICAL REPORT - THE RESULTS OF THE ANALYSIS INDICATE THAT THE LEAK IN THE CARRIER PIPE WAS CAUSED BY EXTERNAL CORROSION, AND THE LEAK IN SIDE STREAM WELD OF THE REPAIR SLEEVE WAS CAUSED BY A CRACK IN THE WELD METAL. MISALIGNMENT AT THE SLEEVE EDGES CONTRIBUTED TO INADEQUATE PENETRATION AT THE WELD ROOT AND A STRESS CONCENTRATOR AT THE WELD ROOT THAT CAUSED THE WELD TO CRACK WHEN THE SLEEVE BECAME PRESSURIZED. THE SLEEVE WAS PRESUMABLY INSTALLED TO MITIGATE THE CORROSION. THE FAILURE OF THE SLEEVE REPAIR IS THE APPLICABLE CAUSE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS INCIDENT. BUCKEYE STARTED OPERATING THE PIPE IN 2004.