ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Jan 8 (Reuters) - The Trans Alaska Pipeline shut down on Saturday after an oil leak was discovered at the intake pump station at Prudhoe Bay, the system's operator said.
Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., the operator of the 800-mile (1,280 kilometre) line, said the leak was discovered Saturday morning and oil producers have been instructed to cut output to 5 percent of normal rates.
Alyeska is owned by oil companies with interests on the North Slope. Major owners are BP, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil Corp.
BP, which operates the Prudhoe Bay field, has started the process of reducing production, said company spokesman Steve Rinehart.
'I can't give you an estimate of how long it will take to get down to 5 percent, but we are working quickly and safely to do that,' he said. Tasks include freeze-protecting lines and facilities, he said.
The leak appears to be from a second pipeline encased in concrete adjacent to the pump station building and a response crew has been sent to the site to assess ways to contain the oil leak and start cleanup and repairs, Alyeska said.
The Trans Alaska Pipeline, which runs from Prudhoe Bay to the tanker port of Valdez, shipped an average of 632,221 barrels per day in November, according to Alyeska's website.
(Writing by Mary Milliken, editing by Philip Barbara) Keywords: OIL PIPELINE/ALASKA (mary.milliken@thomsonreuters.com, tel 1 213 955 6760) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., the operator of the 800-mile (1,280 kilometre) line, said the leak was discovered Saturday morning and oil producers have been instructed to cut output to 5 percent of normal rates.
Alyeska is owned by oil companies with interests on the North Slope. Major owners are BP, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil Corp.
BP, which operates the Prudhoe Bay field, has started the process of reducing production, said company spokesman Steve Rinehart.
'I can't give you an estimate of how long it will take to get down to 5 percent, but we are working quickly and safely to do that,' he said. Tasks include freeze-protecting lines and facilities, he said.
The leak appears to be from a second pipeline encased in concrete adjacent to the pump station building and a response crew has been sent to the site to assess ways to contain the oil leak and start cleanup and repairs, Alyeska said.
The Trans Alaska Pipeline, which runs from Prudhoe Bay to the tanker port of Valdez, shipped an average of 632,221 barrels per day in November, according to Alyeska's website.
(Writing by Mary Milliken, editing by Philip Barbara) Keywords: OIL PIPELINE/ALASKA (mary.milliken@thomsonreuters.com, tel 1 213 955 6760) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
© 2011 AFX News
