EXPRESS HOLDINGS (USA), LLC

Incident Narrative

ON OCTOBER 1, 2020 AT APPROXIMATELY 04:00 CDT A RELEASE OCCURRED DURING THE EXECUTION OF AN OUTAGE AND TIE-IN TO COMPLETE INSTALLATION OF NEW RECEIVING AND SENDING TRAPS AT THE HOLDREGE STATION. A LABOR CREW MADE UP OF ENBRIDGE EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACT LABORERS WERE REMOVING A DOUBLE-FACED BLIND FLANGE AT TIE-POINT 3B WHEN CRUDE OIL WAS UNEXPECTEDLY RELEASED INTO TEMPORARY CONTAINMENT THAT HAD BEEN PLACED UNDERNEATH THE FLANGE SET. THE TEAM WAS ABLE TO RE-TORQUE THE STUDS AND NUTS THAT HAD BEEN LOOSENED TO STOP THE RELEASE OF PRODUCT. APPROXIMATELY 20 BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL WAS COLLECTED IN THE TEMPORARY SECONDARY CONTAINMENT AND IMMEDIATELY RECOVERED VIA VAC TRUCK AND RETURNED TO THE SYSTEM. THE CREW HAD ALLOWED OIL TO DRAIN FROM THE LOOSENED FLANGE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME WITH THE INITIAL THOUGHT THAT IT WAS RESIDUAL FROM THE DRAIN UP. WHEN THE FLOW DID NOT STOP, THE FLANGE WAS TIGHTENED UP. THE ISOLATION POINTS FOR THE OPEN SYSTEM WORK WERE CHANGED PART WAY THROUGH THE JOB. HOWEVER, AN INTEGRITY CHECK WAS NOT PERFORMED ON THE NEW ISOLATION POINTS WHEN THAT OCCURRED. AS A RESULT, ONE VALVE ALLOWED OIL TO BYPASS THE ISOLATION POINT AND LED TO THE TIE-IN CREW DISCOVERING CRUDE OIL WHERE THEY DID NOT EXPECT IT. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VALVE'S LIMIT SET POINTS WERE SET INCORRECTLY DURING COMMISSIONING AN EARLIER PHASE OF THE PROJECT.