Officials: Oil no longer leaking from Cook Inlet pipeline, but scope and cause of spill still unknown

[thackney]

Officials: Oil no longer leaking from Cook Inlet pipeline, but scope and cause of spill still unknown
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/environment/2017/04/02/officials-no-more-oil-leaking-into-cook-inlet-but-cause-and-scope-of-spill-still-unknown/
4/2/2017

The flow of oil from an undersea pipeline leaking in Cook Inlet was halted Sunday, one day after the leak was noticed by workers on a Hilcorp Alaska offshore platform, state officials said.

What's not yet known is how much crude oil escaped from the pipeline into the waters of the inlet — or what caused the leak.

A sheen of oil was discovered at about 11:20 a.m. Saturday by workers on Hilcorp's Anna platform, about 45 miles southwest of Anchorage near the village of Tyonek, on the west side of Cook Inlet. The workers felt a violent shudder on the platform shortly before discovering the oil sheen, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation; a flyover found patches of oil sheen about 3 miles downstream from the platform a short time later....



The flow of oil to the pipeline was immediately stopped after the sheen was discovered. But the pipeline itself — which connects the Anna and Bruce platforms, both built in the 1960s — was full of about 460 barrels of crude oil, the DEC said.

The leak is not related to an ongoing natural gas leak at Hilcorp's platforms near Nikiski....

[thackney]

Amount leaked from Cook Inlet oil pipeline remains unknown
http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Response-crews-work-to-stop-crude-oil-leak-in-Cook-Inlet-417909973.html

..."This pipeline in particular was original, but has had some sections replaced over the years, so it's not all from 1960, but some of it is," Ryan said. "The Cook Inlet infrastructure is some of the oldest we have in the state."

Personnel working on the Anna platform belonging to Hilcorp Alaska felt an impact on Saturday and discovered an oil sheen along with bubbles close to an underwater 8 inch crude oil pipeline.

The company conducted flyovers in the area at about 12:30 p.m. that afternoon.

"There were several spots of sheening that occurred, some were quite large, but diesel oil spreads when it reaches the surface of the water so that's not much of an indicator of the size of the leak," Ryan said.

A second flyover did not spot oil sheens by 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon or on Sunday....

[thackney]

Coast Guard, partner agencies establish Unified Command in Response to Anna Platform Incident
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/191b98c
 04/02/2017 07:19 PM EDT

A Unified Command comprised of the United States Coast Guard (USCG), Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), and Hilcorp Alaska (Hilcorp) has been established in response to reports of a sheen near the Anna Platform.

The Anna Platform is located in the Granite Point Field of Cook Inlet. A sheen was discovered by Hilcorp personnel at 11:20 a.m., Saturday. Production was shut in immediately and the incident was reported to ADEC at 12:05 p.m. on the same day.

Three flyovers were conducted Saturday. During the first flyover at approximately 11:30 a.m., several sheens were spotted approximately three miles downstream from the platform. The other two flights did not identify any sheen in the area. Two additional flyovers were completed today at 10:45 a.m. and 2 p.m. No sheen was sighted in the area.

The suspected source of the release is an oil pipeline running between the Anna and Bruce platforms. In order to reduce the risk of a further spill, platform crews are displacing the existing oil in the pipeline with seawater. USCG and ADEC personnel have boarded the Anna Platform and will be observing the operation. The Perseverance, a Cook Inlet Spill Prevention and Response (CISPRI) vessel, is also on scene and will remain there until the oil is removed from the line.

At this time, the cause of the release and sheen is unknown. Further updates will be provided when they become available.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Hilcorp, a well run company, has made its mark by purchasing older properties and running them efficiency and adding production to them.

It is not surprising this could catch up to them sooner or later in some issues of degraded infrastructures.

The many properties in South Louisiana likely suffer the same issues; however, the weather there erase any sheens pretty quickly, especially by hurricanes.

[thackney]

I found an update:

Hilcorp estimates leak at 3 gallons of crude; unified command stands down
http://www.alaskajournal.com/2017-04-02/hilcorp-estimates-leak-3-gallons-crude-unified-command-stands-down#.WOUUaojys2wAn underwater pipeline that sprung a leak in Alaska's Cook Inlet, an area known for diverse marine life, probably dumped less than three gallons of crude oil into the ocean, the pipeline's owner said Monday.

The spill between two production platforms owned by Hilcorp Alaska LLC was spotted Saturday. Cook Inlet stretches 180 miles from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage and is home to an endangered population of beluga whales.

Hilcorp by Sunday had removed all oil from the 8-inch diameter pipeline.

Cook Inlet is also habitat for humpback whales, the western population of Steller sea lions and northern sea otters. Harbor seals, killer whales and porpoise use the inlet....

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Three gallons?

That is only a couple of toilet flushes of the ships out there discharge into the sea in front of those beluga whales

[thackney]

Three gallons?

That is only a couple of toilet flushes of the ships out there discharge into the sea in front of those beluga whales

Yep, I've spilled far more trying to fry a turkey.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Yep, I've spilled far more trying to fry a turkey.

Spilling that peanut oil is potentially more damaging too if it gets you.  Have heard too many stories of burns.

[thackney]

Spilling that peanut oil is potentially more damaging too if it gets you.  Have heard too many stories of burns.

I had a coworker year ago set his truck on fire while frying a turkey.  It was windy, so he used his truck to park very close to protect the flames.  It boiled over igniting the oil while he took a nap, telling his teenage son to keep an eye on it.

A couple mistakes listed there, but none as big as him telling us what happened.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I had a coworker year ago set his truck on fire while frying a turkey.  It was windy, so he used his truck to park very close to protect the flames.  It boiled over igniting the oil while he took a nap, telling his teenage son to keep an eye on it.

A couple mistakes listed there, but none as big as him telling us what happened.

my Cajun neighbor showed me his oil-free fryer and swears it takes the same.