EXXONMOBIL PIPELINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident — — November 3, 2012
Incident Information
| Incident Date | November 3, 2012 |
| Operator | EXXONMOBIL PIPELINE CO |
| Commodity | CRUDE OIL |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 28.61806, -92.06917 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | EXTERNAL CORROSION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $200,000 |
| Emergency Response | $30,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"INCIDENT DESCRIPTION ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, AN OIL SHEEN WAS REPORTED BY THE SMI 69B (THIRD-PARTY) PLATFORM OPERATOR. 4.7 GAL. (O.112 BBLS) OF CRUDE OIL WAS RELEASED TO WATER FROM THE INTERFACE BETWEEN A PIPELINE PLATFORM RISER SUPPORT CLAMP AND THE EMPCO 10 IN. PIPELINE. THE SUBJECT PIPE CLAMP IS ONE OF EIGHT RISER CLAMPS THAT SECURE THE PIPELINE RISER TO THE PLATFORM AND ONE OF TWO ABOVE THE WATER LINE. THE SUBJECT CLAMP IS APPROXIMATELY ~15 FT. ABOVE THE WATER LINE AND BELOW THE MAIN PLATFORM DECK. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS UPON RELEASE DISCOVERY, THE SMI 69B PLATFORM OPERATOR EXECUTED AN EMERGENCY SHUT DOWN OF THE EMPCO PIPELINE. THE EMPCO OCC IMMEDIATELY BLOCKED-IN THE AFFECTED SEGMENTS. AGENCY AND EMPCO UP-LINE NOTIFICATIONS WERE COMPLETED. THE EMPCO DESIGNATED OIL SPILL RESPONSE ORGANIZATION (OSRO) WAS DEPLOYED AS A PRECAUTION. THE USCG WAS UPDATED AND TOOK NO EXCEPTION TO THE RESPONSE. THE REPAIR STRATEGY IS IN-PROGRESS AND INCLUDES REPLACEMENT OF THE FAILED LONG RADIUS PIPE SECTION. INVESTIGATION THE RELEASE FAILURE MECHANISM HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO BE THROUGH-WALL EXTERNAL CORROSION BETWEEN THE CLAMP AND PIPELINE. THE FAILED SECTION HAS BEEN SENT TO LAB FOR METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS."
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.