EXXONMOBIL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON SEPTEMBER 28, 2018, CONTRACTORS FOR EXXONMOBIL PIPELINE COMPANY WERE WORKING ON A PROJECT TO INSTALL SHEET PILING AT THE ST. JAMES LOCAP STATION. CONTRACTORS WERE USING A SUPER SUCKER VACUUM TRUCK TO REMOVE SOIL WHERE SHEET PILING WAS GOING TO BE INSTALLED, BUT SOIL KEPT FILLING IN THE HOLE DUE TO SOIL CONDITIONS. THE WORK WAS STOPPED AND PROBING TOOK PLACE TO LOCATE ANY UNDERGROUND LINES. THE TEAM ALSO REVIEWED THE FACILITY DRAWINGS. NO LINES WERE LOCATED BY PROBING WHERE THE SHEET PILING WAS TO BE INSTALLED, SO WORK BEGAN TO DRIVE THE SHEET PILING. AT APPROXIMATELY 09:30 A.M., THE SHEET PILING INADVERTENTLY STRUCK ONE INCH DRAIN LINE ASSOCIATED WITH A DENSITOMETER. THE SHEET PILING WAS PULLED BACK OUT, AND THE VACUUM TRUCK WAS UTILIZED TO EXCAVATE TO DETERMINE WHAT WAS HIT. WHEN THE LINE WAS UNCOVERED, PRODUCT BEGAN TO GRAVITY FLOW OUT OF THE LINE. A DRIP PAN WAS QUICKLY PUT IN PLACE UNDER THE LINE AND THE VACUUM TRUCK WAS USED TO RECOVER THE OIL THAT HAD DRAINED FROM THE LINE. THE DAMAGED LINE RELEASED APPROXIMATELY 23 GALLONS OF CRUDE OIL, WITH APPROXIMATELY 6 GALLONS REACHING THE SOIL. THE REMAINING VOLUME WAS RELEASED TO THE DRIP PAN. UPON INVESTIGATION, OPERATIONS DISCOVERED THAT THE FACILITY DRAWINGS REFERENCED DID NOT IDENTIFY THE ONE INCH DRAIN LINE. AS A RESULT, THE FACILITY DRAWINGS ARE BEING CORRECTED TO INCLUDE THE ONE INCH DRAIN LINE.