CHEVRON PIPE LINE CO

Incident Narrative

AT 1750 CDT ON 17 JUL 11 CPL PERSONNEL WERE NOTIFIED BY 3RD PARTY PERSONNEL OF A POSSIBLE MECHANICAL CONNECTION FAILURE NEAR THE SCRAPPER TRAPS @ THE VENICE MULTIPLE TRAPS FACILITY. 3RD PARTY PERSONNEL INDICATED CRUDE OIL HAD ENTERED THE INLAND WATER ADJACENT TO THE TRAPS; THE VOLUME RELEASED IS 2 BBLS.. CSC HAS STOPPED FLOWING FROM A PORTION OF PRODUCERS INTO THE VENICE MULTIPLES. 3RD PARTY PERSONNEL ARE DEPLOYING BOOM AND SORBENT MATERIAL. CPL EE'S ARE EN ROUTE. THE CAUSE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION. CPL INSTALLED A TEMPORARY LAUNCHER BARREL ON THE VENICE MULTIPLE PIPELINE SYSTEM IN VENICE, LA. THE TEMPORARY LAUNCHER WAS INSTALLED ON 7/14/11 AND WAS PRESSURE TESTED BY MEANS OF A STAND UP TEST. THE MECHANICAL CONNECTION USED ON THE TEMPORARY LAUNCHER AND THE SCRAPPER WAS A YALE TYPE CONNECTION. THE TEMPORARY LAUNCHER WAS 14 FT. LONG AND THE SECTION WAS SUPPORTED BY WOODEN TIMBERS. AT THE TIME OF THE INSTALLATION AND PRESSURE TEST, THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PRODUCT LEAKAGE FROM THE CONNECTION. OVER THE WEEKEND THERE WAS HEAVY RAIN IN THE AREA AND THE ALIGNMENT OF THE TEMPORARY LAUNCHER AND THE PIPELINE SHIFTED AND A RELEASE OF PRODUCT OCCURED AT THE MECHANICAL CONNECTION. THE AREA WAS IMMEDIATELY CONTAINED WITH ABSORBENT BOOM AND THE CRUDE IS BEING CLEANED UP WITH SORBENT PADS. AS OF 7/18/11, THE MITIGATION OF THE AREA WAS AT APPROXIMATELY 75% COMPLETE. THE TEMPORARY LAUNCHER HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE PIPELINE AND THE END CLOSURE HAS BEEN REATTACHED. THE PIPELINE HAS BEEN PUT BACK IN NORMAL OPERATIONS AND THE END CLOSURE IS BEING MONITORED. THE CLEAN UP RESPONSE WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE AREA IS COMPLETELY MITIGATED. AS OF 7/28/11 THE SITE WAS REMEDIATED AND THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF ANY CRUDE OIL PRESENT ON THE WATER. CPL HAS STARTED AND INTERNAL INVESTIGATION OF THE RELEASE.