TARGA NGL PIPE LINE CO

Incident Narrative

CONTRACTOR PERFORMING HDD FOR ENERGY TRANSFER PARTNERS/LONESTAR (ETP). CONTRACTOR WAS SET UP IN LONESTAR FACILITY ON SOUTH SIDE OF WINFREE ROAD, WEST OF HWY 146 IN MONT BELVIEU, TX. CONTRACTOR HAD DRILLED THE PILOT HOLE AND HAD ATTACHED REAMER FOR PULLBACK. APPROXIMATELY 185' FROM THE EXIT HOLE, IT IS BELIEVED THE REAMER STRUCK THE PIPELINE. WHEN REAMER WAS PULLED BACK, VAPOR CLOUD WAS OBSERVED. VAPOR CLOUD IGNITED - IGNITION SOURCE BELIEVED TO BE NEARBY PICKUP TRUCK. THERE ARE MULTIPLE PIPELINES IN THE AREA OF THE BORE, SO INITIALLY IT WAS UNCLEAR WHICH PIPELINE HAD BEEN STRUCK. THE ARBUCKLE LINE HAD PRESSURE, BUT WAS NOT FLOWING AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE LINE IS 1.13 MILES IN LENGTH WITH VALVES LOCATED ON EACH END OF THE LINE. UPON REVIEW OF THE ETC/LONESTAR SURVEY/ALIGNMENT SHEET, THE TARGA/ARBUCKLE LINE WAS NOTED, BUT AT AN INCORRECT (SHALLOWER) DEPTH - THIS ISSUE WAS NOT IDENTIFIED BY ETC, ITS SURVEYOR, ITS CONTRACTORS, OR TARGA REPRESENTATIVES PRIOR TO THE LINE STRIKE. PRIOR TO THE DRILL, CARMELO ROJAS OF TARGA HAD AT LEAST ONE IN-PERSON MEETING WITH TEXLA'S DRILLER (MANIEL ROSALES) AND MARLIN'S REPRESENTATIVE (IRA ""BUSSIE"" ADAMS), AS WELL AS FOLLOW UP PHONE DISCUSSIONS. MR. ROJAS WAS SHOWN AN ALIGNMENT SHEET FOR THE ETC DRILL, AND ALL FIVE (5) OF TARGA'S PIPELINES WERE IDENTIFIED. IN MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS WITH MR. ROSALES AND MR. ADAMS, MR. ROJAS WAS TOLD THE RESPECTIVE CONTRACTOR HAD WHAT WAS NEEDED FOR THE DRILL. MR. ROJAS ALSO PROVIDED [TO MR. ROSALES AND MR. ADAMS] THE INFORMATION/DRAWING HE HAD REGARDING THE LOCATION OF SOME OF THE TARGA LINES.