HAWAII INDEPENDENT ENERGY

Incident Narrative

AT 10:57 AM ON JULY 28, 2016, WHILE CONTRACTORS WERE PERFORMING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE ON THE MOV A8 VALVE PACKING FOR FUGITIVE EMISSIONS CONTROL, THE VALVE PACKING NUT UNEXPECTEDLY FAILED, RESULTING IN A RELEASE OF GASOLINE INTO THE CONTAINMENT AREA WEST OF THE PUMP HOUSE. THE LEL ALARM AT THE PIG LAUNCHER AREA CAME ON AND WAS IMMEDIATELY INVESTIGATED AND RESPONDED TO BY TANK FARM OPERATORS. OPERATIONS ACTIVATED THE EMERGENCY ALARM AT 11:00 AM. PIPELINE OPERATIONS WERE IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN. ALL PERSONNEL ASSEMBLED FOR ACCOUNTABILITY. INCIDENT COMMAND WAS ESTABLISHED. OPERATIONS APPLIED A WATER BLANKET FROM THE FIRST AID HOSE AND FIRE MONITOR TO SUPPRESS FLAMMABLE VAPORS. EMERGENCY RESPONSE BRIGADE RESPONDED AND ISOLATED THE LEAK AT 11:50 AM AND CONTAINMENT AREA WAS CLEANED UP. REPAIRS WERE MADE AND PIPELINE OPERATIONS RESUMED TO NORMAL AT 12:30 ON 7/28/16. THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH HAZARD EVALUATION AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE OFFICE AND THE LOCAL EMERGENCY PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU WERE NOTIFIED ABOUT THE RELEASE OF OIL IN EXCESS OF THE STATE RQ OF 25 GALLONS. AFTER FURTHER REVIEW OF THE INCIDENT, ENGINEERING CALCULATIONS SUBSEQUENTLY INDICATED THAT THE RELEASE VOLUME WAS APPROXIMATELY 14 BARRELS. APPROXIMATELY 2 OF THE 14 BARRELS OF GASOLINE WERE NOT RECOVERED OR VAPORIZED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. A NOTIFICATION WAS REQUIRED TO NRC WHICH WAS DONE ON 8/9/16.