SHELL PIPELINE CO., L.P.
hazardous_liquid Incident —
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | SHELL PIPELINE CO., L.P. |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 29.71611, -95.22196 |
Cause
| Cause | EXCAVATION DAMAGE |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
CAUSE DETERMINED BY METALLURGICAL INSPECTION. THE CRACK IS ATTIBUTED TO A BENDING LOAD IN THE PRESENCE OF AN INCOMPLETE WELD. BACKFILLING BY 3RD PARTY CONTRACTOR. THE PIPELINE FAILED DUE TO FORCES APPLIED TO THE TOP OF THE PIPELINE DURING THE BACKFILLING OF THE SITE. THE QUALITY OF THE WELD ALSO PLAYED A ROLE IN THE INCIDENT. THE WELD WAS CONFIRMED BY ANALYSIS THAT IT WAS FIT-FOR-SERVICE. THE WELD DID NOT FAIL DUE TO PIPELINE OPERATING PRESSURES. FURTHER CONFIRMED THAT THE WELD WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND THE MAXIMUM OPERATING PRESSURE (MOP), HYDROTEST PRESSURES AND TYPICAL LOADS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE PIPELINE. LOCATING THE RELEASE - DUE TO THE RECENT BACKFILLING AND LOOSE UNCOMPACTED SOILS AT THE SITE, THE RELEASED CRUDE OIL WAS NOT DISCOVERED UNTIL THE ISOLATED SECTION OF PIPELINE WAS FILLED WITH DYED WATER TO DETERMINE LOCATION. THIS WAS APRIL 3RD. THIS ADDED WATER TO THE UNCOMPACTED SOILS WHICH DISPLACED THE CRUDE OIL TO THE SURFACE AND NEARBY BAYOU WHICH WAS DISCOVERD BY PIPELINE OPERATOR CREWS LATER THAT DAY.
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.