Ice plugs detected in Alaskan pipeline

The spill was discovered during a routine inspection of the line, which was not in service at the time. BP Exploration Alaska, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, US America Environmental Protection Agency and the North Slope Borough have formed a Unified Command to respond to the release.

X-raying of the line indicated ice-plugging throughout the line, with one ice plug measuring 457 m. A 12 m exclusion zone was retracted, which allowed access to the heavily contaminated product closest to the pipeline leak location, approximately 2.4 km from the Lisburne Production Centre.

Approximately 150 cubic metres of contaminated material has been removed from the site, which will be stored at the East Dock ice pit until it is melted and the volume of collected oil measured.

The cause of the spill is under investigation.

The Lisburne Common Line forms part of the 1,300 km Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), which transports crude oil from Alaska’s North Slope to Port Valdez in Prince William Sound. TAPS consists of the pipeline, pump stations, a marine terminal, and associated facilities and systems and is operated by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company on behalf of BP Pipelines (Alaska), ConocoPhillips Transportation Alaska, ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, Unocal Pipeline Company, and Koch Alaska Pipeline Company.

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