PLAINS PIPELINE, L.P.

Incident Narrative

APPROXIMATELY 204 BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL WAS RELEASED FROM A 12 INCH PIPELINE. SUPPLEMENTAL NARRATIVE: THE 12 INCH BOA PIPELINE OPERATES INTERMITTENTLY TO MAKE SCHEDULED DELIVERIES OF CRUDE OIL. ON MARCH 17, 2012, A STARTUP OF THE PIPELINE OCCURRED AT 0700. WHEN A NORMAL OPERATING PRESSURE WAS NOT ACHIEVED UPON STARTUP OF THE PIPELINE, THE PLAINS CONTROL CENTER IMMEDIATELY SHUTDOWN THE PIPELINE (0705) FIELD PERSONNEL WERE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED BY THE CONTROL ROOM WHO ARRANGED FOR AN OVER FLIGHT OF THE PIPELINE RIGHT-OF-WAY TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM OF NOT BEING ABLE TO ACHIEVE NORMAL PRESSURE. THE OVER FLIGHT BEGAN AS SOON AS FOG IN THE AREA LIFTED. AT APPROXIMATELY 1000, AN OIL SHEEN WAS OBSERVED IN BARATARIA PASS AND APPEARED TO BE COMING FROM THE JACK UP LIFT BARGE SEVEN INAGHA WHICH WAS SPUDDED DOWN AND THE DREDGE VESSEL DREDGE TEXAS OWNED BY THE GREAT LAKES DREDGE AND DOCK COMPANY. AN INSPECTION OF THE AREA CONDUCTED THE PREVIOUS DAY, DID NOT NOTE THE LIFT BARGE OR DREDGE IN THE VICINITY OF THE PIPELINE. AFTER OBSERVING THE OIL SHEEN, NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE TO PLAINS MANAGEMENT, USCG AND LOUISIANA STATE POLICE HAZ MAT. CONTRACTORS WERE CONTACTED TO BEGIN MOBILIZING TO DETERMINE THE SOURCE OF THE RELEASE. A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR WAS ALSO CONTACTED TO INVESTIGATE THE OIL SLICK WHICH APPEARED TO BE EMANATING NEAR OR AROUND THE JACK UP VESSEL. A MAGNETOMETER SURVEY SHOWED THE 12-INCH BOA PIPELINE WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 600 FEET OFF OF THE LIFT BARGE SEVEN INAGHA PORT SIDE AND NORTH OF THE VESSEL. MULTI SCANNING OF THE SEA BOTTOM INDICATED NO EVIDENCE THAT THE SEVEN INAGHA SPUDS CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THE PIPELINE. THE CAPTAIN OF SEVEN INAGHA DID NOT NOTIFY ONE-CALL, BUT DID NOTIFY THE USCG WHEN A SHEEN WAS OBSERVED AROUND HIS VESSEL. FROM THE MULTI SCAN IMAGING AND OTHER INVESTIGATION DATA, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE DREDGE VESSEL DREDGE TEXAS STRUCK THE BOA 12-INCH PIPELINE WITH ITS CUTTER HEAD WHEN IT WAS LOWERED TO HELP STOP THE FORWARD MOTION OF THE DREDGE TO CONDUCT MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES. SEA BOTTOM IMAGES CLEARLY SHOW THE CRATER FORMED BY DROPPING THE CUTTER HEAD INTERSECTING THE PIPELINE ALIGNMENT. THE DREDGE WAS FOUND ANCHORED ABOVE THE PIPELINE. A PLAINS PIPELINE MARKER IDENTIFYING A PIPELINE CROSSING AND WARNING DO NOT ANCHOR OR DREDGE WAS CLEARLY VISIBLE TO DREDGE TEXAS. DREDGE TEXAS DID NOT MAKE A ONE-CALL NOTIFICATION FOR DREDGING ACTIVITIES IN THE LOCATION WHERE THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED. APPROXIMATELY 204 BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL WAS RELEASED AND SIX FEET OF THE PIPELINE WAS DAMAGED. TO REPAIR THE PIPE, A CLAMP DEVICE WAS CONSTRUCTED TO SUPPORT THE DAMAGED PIPE IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE LIFTED TO A HEIGHT SUFFICIENT TO MAKE REPAIRS. UPON REMOVAL OF THE CLAMP IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE DAMAGE WAS A RESULT OF THE CUTTER HEAD. THE DAMAGE BEGAN AT THE 12 O'CLOCK POSITION CONTINUING TO THE SIX O'CLOCK POSITION, RIPPING OPEN AND ALMOST COMPLETELY SEVERING THE PIPELINE. ONCE REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED, THE LINE WAS PUT BACK IN SERVICE.