"GEL OFFSHORE PIPELINE, LLC"
hazardous_liquid Incident — — May 12, 2014
Incident Information
| Incident Date | May 12, 2014 |
| Operator | "GEL OFFSHORE PIPELINE, LLC" |
| Commodity | CRUDE OIL |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 28.26037, -92.25014 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | EXTERNAL CORROSION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $1,000,000 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $450,000 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"DURING THE MORNING OF 5/12/2014, A RIG WORKER ON VR-331A NOTICED A SHEEN ON THE WATER COMING FROM THE BOTTOM AT 6:16 AM. THE PLATFORM CONTINUED TO CONTACT NRC AND SPLC CONTROL ROOM IN ORDER TO SHUTDOWN THE PIPELINE. A VESSEL WAS IMMIDIATELY CALLED TO CLOSE THE SUB-SEA BLOCK VALVE TO ISOLATE THE RISER INVOLVED IN THE LEAK. VESSEL ARRIVED ON SITE AND CLOSED SSV AT APPROXIMATELY 8:00 PM ON 5/13/2014. INSPECTION OF THE LEAK SITE SHOWED THAT COATING DAMAGE FROM A REPAIR IN 2010 RESULTED IN A SMALL SECTION OF METAL BEING EXPOSED TO SEA WATER AT THE SPLASH ZONE OF THE RISER AROUND THE +12 LOCATION. THE EXPOSURE, OVER TIME, RESULTED IN A PINHOLE LEAK DUE TO EXTERNAL CORROSION. THE REASON THE CORROSION WAS NOT SPOTTED DURING ANNUAL PATROLS IS BECAUSE THE 8"" RISER WAS INSIDE A 16"" J-TUBE CASING. REPAIR PROCEDURES ARE CURRENTLY BEING EVALUATED. REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED ON 6/22/14 ACCORDING TO A REPAIR PLAN APPROVED BY BSEE ON 6/5/14. THE PIPE WAS CUT AT -12 FT. LOCATION TO THE +13 FT. LOCATION. ON 6/24/14, ALL PRODUCERS WERE ALERTED THAT THE PIPELINE IS TO START FLOWING AT 9:14AM. CRUDE OIL BEGAN FLOWING AT 2:40PM ON 6/24/2014. AS OF 7/30/2014, THE TOTAL COST ESTIMATE IS $1.4MM."
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.