VITOL MIDSTREAM, LLC

Incident Narrative

A SCHEDULED OUTAGE TO REPLACE A 12 INCH VALVE AT THE VITOL MIDKIFF TERMINAL HAD BEEN SCHEDULED AND COMMUNICATED TO NES VIA EMAIL ON 9/27/16. THE OUTAGE WOULD REQUIRE THE NES LATERAL TO BE SHUT IN. A SHUTOUT PLAN WAS DEVELOPED BY VITOL FOR THIS OUTAGE. AT APPROXIMATELY 08:38 HRS ON 09/29/2016, VITOL MIDSTREAM LLC TERMINAL OPERATOR REMOVED THE PERMISSIVE FROM THE MIDKIFF NES METER SKID FACILITY AND INFORMED NAVIGATOR'S CONTROL ROOM THAT VITOL WAS DOWN AND PERMISSIVE HAD BEEN REMOVED IN PREPARATION FOR THE SCHEDULED OUTAGE. LO/TO WAS PERFORMED BY VITOL PERSONNEL WHO CLOSED AND LOCKED THE 4 INCH METER SKID DISCHARGE VALVE. AT APPROXIMATELY 12:52 HRS THE NAVIGATOR PIPELINE PUMP THAT TRANSPORTS CRUDE OIL TO MIDKIFF STATION AUTOMATICALLY STARTED PUMPING OIL TO THE STATION. AT APPROXIMATELY 13:11 HRS, A VITOL I&E TECH, WHOM WAS INSPECTING THE FACILITY LIGHTING, SMELLED CRUDE OIL AND DISCOVERED CRUDE SPRAYING FROM THE METER SKID BACKPRESSURE REGULATOR AND A FLANGE. THE TECH IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE FIELD ENGINEER, LOCATED AT THE TERMINAL OUTAGE, OF THE SPILL. WHILE DRIVING TO THE SPILL SITE THE FIELD ENGINEER RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE VITOL CONTROL ROOM OPERATOR INFORMING HIM THAT SCADA INDICATED OVER 500 PSI ON THE METER SKID, AND THE 6 INCH OPP VALVE AND 4 INCH PCV INDICATED AS OPEN ON VITOL SCADA. WHEN THE ENGINEER ARRIVED ON LOCATION AND SAW THE LEAK, HE CHECKED THE NES OPP VALVE AND SAW THAT IT WAS 100% OPEN, IN ADDITION TO THE 4INCH PCV BEING FULL OPEN. HE CALLED THE VITOL TERMINAL OPERATOR AND ASKED HIM TO CLOSE THE OPP VALVE. THE VITOL OPERATOR INFORMED HIM THAT HE DID NOT HAVE CONTROL OF THE NES OPP VALVE. THE VITOL OPERATOR CONTACTED THE NES OPERATOR AND ASKED HIM TO CLOSE THE VALVE. THE NES OPERATOR INFORMED VITOL THAT WITH PERMISSIVE REMOVED HE HAD NO CONTROL OVER THE VALVE AND THAT IT WAS SHOWING CLOSED ON HIS SYSTEM. NES CONTROL CENTER TURNED OFF THEIR PIPELINE PUMP. THE ENGINEER INSTRUCTED THE PERSONNEL ON LOCATION TO EVACUATE DUE TO THE OIL SPRAY. DURING THIS TIME, THE SUMP AND THE METER SKID SECONDARY CONTAINMENT STARTED TO OVERFLOW DUE TO CRUDE OIL SPRAYING FROM THE BACKPRESSURE VALVE AND SKID THERMAL RELIEF VALVES THAT DISCHARGED TO THE SUMP. THE VITOL OPERATOR NOTIFIED THE ENGINEER OF NESS INABILITY TO CLOSE THE OPP VALVE AND THE VITOL TECH AND ENGINEER MANUALLY CLOSED THE VALVE. THE OVERPRESSURE EVENT AND RELEASE THEN STOPPED. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: VITOL MIDSTREAM LLC PERFORMED REFRESHER TRAINING ON PLANNING OUTAGES, PRESSURE CONTROL, CONTROL ROOM MANAGEMENT (CONTROLLER'S RESPONSIBILITIES) AND LO/TO. INCLUDE CONSIDERATION OF OVERPRESSURE SITUATIONS/SOURCES WHEN PREPARING OUTAGE AND LO/TO PLANS. INVESTIGATED & UPDATED EXISTING SCADA PROGRAMING FOR CORRECT OPERATION OF NES METER FACILITIES, INCLUDING THE OPP AND PCV VALVES. NAVIGATOR ENERGY SERVICES INVESTIGATED EXISTING SCADA PROGRAM AT METER SITE AND DETERMINED & CORRECTED WHY THE OPP VALVE DID NOT CLOSE UPON REMOVAL OF VITOL'S PERMISSIVE AND ADD PROGRAMING TO ACKNOWLEDGE PERMISSIVE/PERMISSIVE REMOVED. INVESTIGATED THE 4"" PCV CONTROLS AND DETERMINED & CORRECTED WHY IT DID NOT CONTROL DOWNSTREAM PRESSURE AT 200 PSIG OR LESS. REPLACED 6"" VALVE WITH A FASTER ACTING, FAIL CLOSE, VALVE. CREATED PROCEDURE FOR LO/TO OF DELIVERY POINTS WHEN NOTIFIED OF PLANNED OUTAGES. RETRAINED NES CONTROLLER IN OPERATIONS OF SYSTEMS.