SHELL PIPELINE CO., L.P.

Incident Narrative

DROPLETS OF OIL FROM A 750 FOOT DEEP SUBSEA FLANGE SURFACED APPROX. 300 FEET EAST OF THE GC-19 PLATFORM. SEAS WERE CALM, NO WIND. THE PIPELINE FLOW WAS RE-DIRECTED TO ANOTHER PIPELINE ON 6/12. THE PLATFORM OPERATOR SHELL E&P NOTIFIED THE NRC, 979447. THE BOEMRE WAS CONTACTED TO ALLOW TESTING OF THE PIPELINE TO DETERMINE WHICH FLANGE WAS IN QUESTION. FOLLOWING TESTING ON 6/13 THE LINE WAS ISOLATED. THERE ARE FOUR INCOMING AND THREE OUTGOING PIPELINES ON THIS PLATFORM. A ROV AND BOAT WERE CONTRACTED TO INVESTIGATE THE LOCATION OF THE DROPLETS AND WAS VERIFIED ON THE FLANGE LOCATED ON THE SEA FLOOR. THE NRC WAS UPDATED ON 6/14 NRC REPORT NUMBER 979611 WAS INITIATED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND SUPPLY AN ESTIMATED VOLUME OF 1 GALLON FROM THE DROPLETS OF CRUDE OIL FROM THE SUBSEA FLANGE. A PLAN IS BEING DEVELOPED TO REPAIR THE FLANGE. UPDATE 8 4 11 FINAL - WEEK OF 7/21/11 VESSEL AND DIVERS WHICH WERE PREPARED TO MAKE REPAIRS AT 750 FEET WATER DEPTH, EXCHANGED THE STUDS AND NUTS ON THE 12 INCH ANSI 900 FLANGE, TENSIONED THEM TO SPECIFICATION AND ADDED SUPPORT TO BOTH SIDES OF THE FLANGE SET. A NEARBY SEA FLOOR FLANGE SET WAS ALSO INSPECTED AND FOUND TO SPECIFICATION. THE PIPELINE WAS STAND UP TESTED SUCCESSFULLY. PIPELINE WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE.