NUSTAR LOGISTICS, L.P.
hazardous_liquid Incident — — October 2, 2020
Incident Information
| Incident Date | October 2, 2020 |
| Operator | NUSTAR LOGISTICS, L.P. |
| Commodity | CRUDE OIL |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 27.81790, -97.40653 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | EXTERNAL CORROSION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $1,212,905 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $7,188 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
NUSTAR OPERATING PERSONNEL DISCOVERED A CRUDE OIL RELEASE ORIGINATING UNDERNEATH THE FLOOR OF TANK 400M-1, INSIDE NUSTAR'S CORPUS CHRISTI NORTH BEACH CRUDE TERMINAL. THE CRUDE OIL IN THE TANK HAS BEEN EVACUATED. THE TANK WILL BE CLEANED, AND THE FAILED PORTION OF THE TANK WILL BE EXAMINED. THE CAUSE OF THE LEAK IS UNDER INVESTIGATION. UPDATE: THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE IS EXTERNAL CORROSION OF THE TANK FLOOR. THROUGH-WALL CORROSION PITS WERE OBSERVED ON THE INTERIOR FLOOR PLATES OF THE TANK. SELECTED THROUGH-WALL FEATURES HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR LABORATORY ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF CORROSION. THE TANK FLOOR HAS BEEN SCANNED. ALL THE INTERIOR FLOOR PLATES, AS WELL AS FOUR ANNULAR PLATES, WILL BE REMOVED AND REPLACED. IN ADDITION, THE MATERIAL AND EXTERNAL LINER UNDERNEATH THE TANK WILL BE REPLACED. A NEW INTERNAL LINER WILL ALSO BE INSTALLED PRIOR TO RETURNING THE TANK TO SERVICE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION. UPDATE: TWO CORROSION MECHANISMS CAUSED FAILURES. ONE SAMPLE FAILED DUE TO CONCENTRATION CELL CORROSION PROMOTED BY MIXED UNDER-BOTTOM FILL AND CHLORIDES. TWO OTHER SAMPLES FAILED DUE TO GENERAL CORROSION PROMOTED BY CHLORIDES.
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.