EQUISTAR CHEMICALS, L.P.
hazardous_liquid Incident — — February 8, 2011
Incident Information
| Incident Date | February 8, 2011 |
| Operator | EQUISTAR CHEMICALS, L.P. |
| Commodity | HVL OR OTHER FLAMMABLE OR TOXIC FLUID WHICH IS A GAS AT AMBI |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 29.84853, -94.90556 |
Cause
| Cause | OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | NEARBY INDUSTRIAL, MAN-MADE, OR OTHER FIRE/EXPLOSION AS PRIMARY CAUSE OF ACCIDENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $4,000 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS EXPERIENCED A FIRE AT THEIR STORAGE FACILITY (EPW) IN MONT BELVIEU, TEXAS ON FEBRUARY 8, 2011. HEAT FROM THAT FIRE CAUSED TEFLON-COATED ELECTRICAL ISOLATION FLANGE GASKETS ON TWO OF EQUISTAR'S PIPELINES LOCATED WITHIN THE EPW FACILITY (LA PORTE LATERALS #2 AND #3) TO LEAK RESULTING IN THE RELEASE OF ETHANE IN EXCESS OF THE 5-GALLON REPORTING THRESHOLD IN 49 CFR 195.50. THE EPW FIRE OCCURRED AROUND NOON ON 2/8, EQUISTAR WAS NOTIFIED OF A POTENTIAL FLANGE LEAK FROM OUR PIPELINE BY EPW AROUND 22:00 P.M. THE RELEASE DID NOT RESULT IN ANY EVENT LISTED IN 49 CFR 195.52. TO EXPAND ON THE RESPONSE IN PART E.6B., EQUISTAR'S SCADA SYSTEM LOST INPUT SIGNALS FROM OUR ASSESTS WITHIN THE EPW FACILITY DUE TO THE FIRE. EQUISTAR CHEMICALS, LP IS SUBMITTING A SINGLE HAZARDOUS LIQUID PIPELINE SYSTEM ACCIDENT REPORT BECAUSE BOTH LEAKING FLANGES WERE CAUSED BY THE SAME EVENT (EPW FIRE). PLEASE NOTE THE ESTIMATED VOLUMN REPORTED IN PART A.9., ESTIMATED COST TO OPERATOR IN PART D.8., AND LENGTH OF SEGMENT ISOLATED BETWEEN VALVES IN PART E.5C. ARE COMBINED AMOUNTS FROM BOTH PIPELINES. RESPONSES TO OTHER QUESTIONS ARE IDENTICAL FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL PIPELINES.
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.