COUNTRYMARK REFINING AND LOGISTICS, LLC

Incident Narrative

ON THE EVENING OF JULY 13, A THUNDERSTORM WENT THROUGH CAUSING THE 2 MAINLINE PUMPS THAT PUMP OUT OF JOHNSONVILLE STATION TO SHUT-OFF, LEAVING ONLY THE CHARGE PUMP (TANK TO MAINLINE PUMPS) RUNNING. THE STORM ALSO CAUSED THE SCADA SYSTEM AT JOHNSONVILLE TO GO INTO PCU SCAN AND FOR THE HIGH TANK ALARM TO GIVE FALSE ALARMS. THE CHARGE PUMP AT JOHNSONVILLE WAS PUMPING OUT APPROXIMATELY 80 BBLS EVERY 2 HOURS. HOWEVER, THE UPSTREAM CLAY CITY PUMP STATION WAS PUMPING APPROXIMATELY 350 BBLS INTO THE JOHNSONVILLE TANK EVERY 2 HOURS. THE CONTROLLER TAKES BARREL COUNTS FROM THE SCADA SYSTEM EVERY 2 HOURS TO DETERMINE WHAT IS GOING INTO A TANK AND WHAT IS GOING OUT OF THAT TANK. THE QUALIFIED CONTROLLER WAS TRAINING A NEW CONTROLLER THAT EVENING. THE TRAINEE FAILED TO RECOGNIZE THAT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE BBLS WERE BEING PUMPED INTO THE TANK AT JOHNSONVILLE THAN WERE BEING PUMPED OUT. THE QUALIFIED CONTROLLER FAILED TO OVERSEE THE TRAINEE'S ACTIONS. WHEN THE TRAINEE'S SHIFT WAS OVER, THE QUALIFIED CONTROLLER WENT TO GET BARREL COUNTS AND IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THE ISSUE. HE SHUT DOWN THE CLAY CITY PUMP THAT WAS PUMPING INTO THE JOHNSONVILLE TANK, CALLED THE LOCAL GAUGER TO GO ON-SITE TO ASSESS THE SITUATION, AND CALLED THE PIPELINE MAINTENANCE MANAGER TO HAVE EMERGENCY RESPONSE PERSONNEL ON THE WAY. THE GAUGER REPORTED THAT CRUDE OIL WAS OUT, BUT WAS ALL CONTAINED INSIDE THE TANK FIREWALL. THE OIL WAS RECOVERED BY VACUUM TRUCK AND PUT INTO A FRAC TANK THAT HAPPENED TO BE ON SITE FOR OTHER MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES. THE RECOVERED OIL WAS THEN PUT BACK INTO THE TANK. NO SOIL CONTAMINATION WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ACCIDENT. AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE INCIDENT HAS BEEN COMPLETED. THE INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT ULTIMATELY THE QUALIFIED CONTROLLER KNEW HIS ROLE AS A TRAINER AND THAT HE WAS ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAFE OPERATION OF THE PIPELINE, BUT FAILED TO FULFILL THAT ROLE AND DID NOT PROPERLY SUPERVISE THE TRAINEE'S ACTIONS.