EXPLORER PIPELINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident — — May 20, 2014
Incident Information
| Incident Date | May 20, 2014 |
| Operator | EXPLORER PIPELINE CO |
| Commodity | REFINED AND/OR PETROLEUM PRODUCT (NON-HVL) WHICH IS A LIQUID |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 29.90643, -94.14981 |
Cause
| Cause | INCORRECT OPERATION |
| Subcause | EQUIPMENT NOT INSTALLED PROPERLY |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $150,000 |
| Emergency Response | $800,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"ON MAY 20, 2014 A RELEASE OF PETROLEUM PRODUCT WAS REPORTED TO EXPLORER PIPELINE FROM A REMOTE OPERATED BLOCK VALVE (ROBV) AT MILE POST 8.98 OUTSIDE OF PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS ON THE 28 INCH SYSTEM. THE SOURCE OF THE RELEASE WAS FROM A PRESSURE TRANSMITTER MOUNTED ON THE UPSTREAM SIDE OF THE ROBV. AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE TRANSMITTER IDENTIFIED THE SOURCE AS A TRANSMITTER ADAPTER O-RING THAT HAD PARTIALLY PROTRUDED THROUGH THE ADAPTER. A TRANSMITTER ADAPTER BOLT WAS FOUND TO HAVE BACKED OUT ENOUGH TO ALLOW THE O-RING TO PROTRUDE THROUGH THE ADAPTER RESULTING IN THE RELEASE. THE INVESTIGATION COULD NOT VERIFY THAT A TRANSMITTER ADAPTER BOLT WAS TORQUED TO THE REQUIRED TORQUE VALUE."
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.