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Pipeline Events – 2003 (9 total)

January 7, 2003 - Union Oil Company of California

Remarks: An ESD occurred shutting in the structure and closing the boarding pipeline valve. The pressure on the pipeline spiked to 1300 lb psi. (normal pumping pressure is between 300-400 psi). This spike caused the packing on the check valve stem counter balance to fail, spilling approximately 5 bbls of oil into the water. By the time the oil spill response vessel was on scene, the spill had broken up and degraded to a point where mechanical cleanup was no longer effective, and no oil was recovered. The causes of this incident are: 1) the pressure safety high was set higher than required and 2) the service life of the packing gland had been exceeded.   

January 7, 2003 – Walter Oil & Gas Corporation
(also listed as Fire, Explosion, and Collision)

 Remarks: The M/V which was moored 2.2 miles from the platform snagged the associated gas pipeline while retrieving its anchor. The vessel began pulling up the anchor at 0736 hours and halted the operation at 0830 hours when the Captain realized he’d snagged a heavy object. Ten minutes later, the Captain noticed fire and smoke under the platform and notified the USCG. Sometime after 0800 hours, the platform operator felt several jolts to the platform which intensified in strength and eventually rocked the platform. The operator shut-in the platforms two producing wells. About 10 minutes later, the platform was jolted again and the gas pipeline broke loose and an explosion and fire erupted from the severed pipeline beneath the platform. The three individuals on the platform at the time evacuated the facility via helicopter. Damage to the platform and pipeline is estimated at $1,841,000. The vessel was moored outside of the designated lightering area per the instructions of the Mooring Master. The Mooring Master and the Captain were unaware of any pipelines in the mooring area as apparently neither one had a copy of the pipeline overlay to the NOAA nautical chart.   

January 12, 2003 – Apache Oil Corporation
(also listed as Fire)

Remarks: Due to an upstream pigging operation, there was a rapid influx of dry oil in the free water knockout separator. The LSH on the separator failed to function. Also, the SDV on the incoming pipeline failed to close during the abnormal event causing a small amount of oil to carry over out of the vent stack. Winds blew the oil onto the platform generator exhaust resulting in a fire. The fire was extinguished with water cannons and the platform ESD was activated. The necessary repairs have been made and the safety system was tested before the platform was returned to service.

January 18, 2003 – Union Oil Company of California
(also listed as Fire)

Remarks: The operator lined up the valves at the platform and then checked the choke on the well. He then opened the well up to the high pressure system. After flowing for a short time, the operator noticed a fire at the facility coming from the water line. The operator shut in the well and the fire extinguished itself. Upon investigation, it was determined that the pipeline parted approximately 8 feet upstream of the tube turn.

February 14, 2003 – Chevron U.S.A.

Remarks: The facility was shut in due to a LSH on the pump surge tank. A leaking SDV on the incoming oil pipeline from WD 117 Platform E allowed fluid to enter the L. P. bulk separator which was dumped into the pump surge tank. However, the bulk separator was not operating as the platform was shut in; therefore the PSV on the inlet piping to the pump surge tank relieved oil to the vent scrubber.  The vent scrubber was filled to capacity and 1.05 bbl of oil was pushed out the flare boom producing a silvery sheen on the water (67 x 8800 yards). When the operator discovered the oil discharge, he closed the block valve beneath the PSV which abated the flow.

Normally the vent scrubber should have alarmed when the high level condition occurred. The design of the safety system prevented the alarm from sounding when elements of the same alarm group were out of service.  Also, the location of the LSH sensor near the top of the surge tank didn’t allow adequate room for residual fluids entering the vessel.      

March 18, 2003 – Walter Oil & Gas Corporation
(also listed as Collision)

Remarks: At 0200 hours a M/V collided with the production platform. The port bow of the M/V struck the platform about midway between the legs and was wedged under a portion of the horizontal support beam at the + 10 elevation for approximately 15 minutes. Production operations were shut in by personnel onboard the platform. All process production equipment along with both departing pipelines was bled down as an added safety precaution to prevent fire or possible explosion. The tug boat captain reported that the first mate was at the wheel at the time of the collision and had fallen asleep. With all crew members sleeping and the first mate asleep at the wheel, the M/V veered off course and struck the platform. Structural damage to the platform and two departing pipelines is estimated at $850,000.

May 28, 2003 – Pioneer Natural Resources USA, Inc.
(also listed as Fire)

Remarks: A fire occurred on the barge during pipeline abandonment operations.

 December 2, 2003 – Gulf South Pipeline Company, LP
(also listed as Fire and Collision)

Remarks: A dredge barge, dredging the Atchafalaya Channel for the Corp of Engineers, impacted and severed the 20-inch gas pipeline. The barge was dredging the channel floor to a depth of 22 feet BML in the vicinity of the pipeline; however, the burial depth of the pipeline was not known. A representative of the pipeline company was not on board at the time of incident. The project engineer did not account for the length of the dredge (420 feet) in determining where to halt dredging operations relative to the location of the pipeline and provided the leverman with the wrong station location. The leverman dredged to the station location provided by the project engineer and hit the pipeline. The pipeline caught on fire as a result of the impact from the dredge. Approximately 1,500 feet of pipe was pulled apart or ripped, with damages estimated at $1,000,000.

December 20, 2003 – Magnum Hunter Production, Inc.
(also listed as Collision)

Remarks: The subsea well was shut-in due to a PSL on the #1 methanol pump and FA-1 flow line segment of the well. The ESD was subsequently initiated on the well and the SCSSV closed when bubbling water was observed at the surface indicative of a possible gas leak.   Later, the operation Superintendent was notified that the well was shut-in due to possible wellhead/pipeline damage from shrimp nets. Subsequent visual inspection of the wellhead and pressure testing of the wellhead and pipeline indicated: 1) the gas release was coming from the pipeline (at a downstream location 29 degrees 18.79’ N; 88 degrees 13.55’ W) and the wellhead damage/leak was pre-existing. Apparently the shrimp boat Captain was unaware of the trawling hazards in the area and snagged the pipeline. Damage to wellhead and pipeline is estimated at $1,095,000.

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Last Updated: 06/24/08, 03:07 PM