EXXONMOBIL PIPELINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident —
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | EXXONMOBIL PIPELINE CO |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 30.00707, -90.85923 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
AT 5:40 AM ON 10/05/2020, AN OPERATOR MAKING ROUNDS DISCOVERED A POOL OF CRUDE OIL AND UPON CLOSER OBSERVATION IDENTIFIED OIL BUBBLING UP FROM THE GROUND BETWEEN VALVES 9218 AND 9207. THE OPERATOR IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE OPERATIONS CONTROL CENTER AND THE STATION WAS SHUT DOWN. A VACUUM TRUCK ARRIVED AT 10:00 AM TO REMOVE THE LIQUID POOL ON THE GROUND SURFACE. PERSONNEL BEGAN TO SHOVEL THE IMPACTED AREA BY HAND ONCE THE VACUUM TRUCK OPERATIONS WERE COMPLETE. HYDRO-EXCAVATION OPERATIONS BEGAN AT 4:20 AM ON 10/06/20 TO EXPOSE BURIED PIPING. AT 12:22 PM ON 10/06/20, A PINHOLE WAS DISCOVERED IN THE 6 O'CLOCK POSITION ON THE SPOOL PIECE UPSTREAM OF VALVE 9207, AND THE SPOOL PIECE WITH PINHOLE WAS REMOVED AT 10:37 PM. AT 12:20 AM ON 10/07/20, BLINDS WERE INSTALLED IN PLACE OF THE REMOVED SPOOL PIECE. BOOSTER PUMPS WERE STARTED AT 2:03 AM AND FLOW WAS RESTORED AT 3:00 AM. NO LEAKS WERE OBSERVED. HYDRO-EXCAVATION OPERATION RESUMED TO REMOVE STAINED SOIL. UPON COMPLETION, RESIDUAL WATER WAS REMOVED FROM EXCAVATION AND IT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY FILLED WITH SAND. IN ADDITION, EMPCO NOTES THE SPOOL PIECE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RELEASE OCCURRED ON NON- DOT JURISDICTIONAL PIPING AT THE LOCAP STATION IN ST JAMES.
About This Pipeline Incident
Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.