EXXONMOBIL PIPELINE CO

hazardous_liquid Incident — — October 16, 2012

Incident Information

Incident DateOctober 16, 2012
OperatorEXXONMOBIL PIPELINE CO
CommodityCRUDE OIL
Pipeline Typehazardous_liquid

Location

State
Coordinates30.00667, -90.85611

Cause

CauseINCORRECT OPERATION
SubcausePIPELINE OR EQUIPMENT OVERPRESSURED

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage$5,000
Emergency Response$15,000
Other Costs$0

Location Map

Incident Narrative

"AN ESTIMATED 2 BBLS. OF CRUDE OIL WAS RELEASED TO SOIL FROM A SUMP TANK OVERFLOW DURING OIL DISPLACEMENT OF STATION PIPING IN PREPARATION FOR A HYDRO-TEST. THE RELEASE WAS CONTAINED ON-SITE WITHIN THE IMMEDIATE SUMP AREA OF THE STATION. AN INCORRECT VALVE CONFIGURATION OCCURRED DURING THE DISPLACEMENT OPERATION WHICH RESULTED IN AN OVER PRESSURE CONDITION. PROTECTIVE PRESSURE DEVICES RELIEVED FLOW INTO THE SUMP BEYOND TANK CAPACITY. TELEPHONIC NOTICE FROM OPERATIONS CONTROL CENTER OF A SUMP HIGH-LEVEL ALARM WAS RECEIVED AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME TIME AS THE SUMP OVERFILL WAS DETECTED ON-SITE. THE SUMP PUMP, LEVEL ACTIVATION SWITCH AND HI-LEVEL ALARM SEEMED TO HAVE FUNCTIONED PROPERLY BUT THE SUMP PUMP WAS NOT CAPABLE OF EXCEEDING THE RATE AT WHICH OIL WAS BEING DISPLACED TO THE SUMP."

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.

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