"BUCKEYE PARTNERS, LP"

hazardous_liquid Incident — — October 1, 2016

Incident Information

Incident DateOctober 1, 2016
Operator"BUCKEYE PARTNERS, LP"
CommodityREFINED AND/OR PETROLEUM PRODUCT (NON-HVL) WHICH IS A LIQUID
Pipeline Typehazardous_liquid

Location

State
Coordinates40.60815, -74.24030

Cause

CauseEQUIPMENT FAILURE
SubcausePUMP OR PUMP-RELATED EQUIPMENT

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage$10,000
Emergency Response$100
Other Costs$0

Location Map

Incident Narrative

"ON 10/1/2016 AT 05:05 LOCAL OPERATING PERSONNEL NOTICED GASOLINE LEAKING FROM THE VFD PUMP FOR LINE 602. LINE 602 LINE WAS RUNNING AT THE TIME OF DISCOVERY BUT THE VFD WAS NOT BEING USED FOR THE OPERATION. LINE 602 WAS IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN. AN ESTIMATED 1.19 BARRELS OF PRODUCT WAS RELEASED AND 1.19 BARRELS HAS BEEN RECOVERED. ALL GASOLINE WAS CONTAINED WITHIN THE CONCRETE PUMP CONTAINMENT AND IMMEDIATE AREA. ALL FREE PRODUCT HAS BEEN RECOVERED AND ALL EFFECTED SOIL HAS BEEN REMOVED. NO FURTHER REMEDIATION IS NECESSARY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE ROOT CAUSE IS ONGOING. UPDATE 1/15/2018 AN INVESTIGATION BY THE PUMP VENDOR AND LOCAL OPERATIONS PERSONNEL REVEALED THAT PUMP SEAL FAILURE WAS THE DIRECT CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT. ABNORMAL MOVEMENT OF THE PUMP SEAL COLLAR ON THE PUMP SHAFT ALLOWED FOR PREMATURE WEARING OF THE PUMP SEAL AND PROVIDED A PATH FOR PRODUCT TO ESCAPE THE PUMP SEAL CHAMBER. ALTHOUGH THE PUMP SEAL CHAMBER IS DESIGNED WITH A DRAIN LINE AND PRESSURE SWITCH, WHICH IS INTENDED TO DETECT ANY PRODUCT ESCAPING A FAILED PUMP SEAL, THE PUMP SEAL FAILED IN A MANNER THAT ALLOWED PRODUCT TO ESCAPE VIA AN UNINTENDED ROUTE. THE PRODUCT ENTERED THE BEARING BRACKET HOUSING AND EVENTUALLY ESCAPED THE PUMP."

About This Pipeline Incident

Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.

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