The ruptured offshore pipeline that spilled tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil off the Southern California coast this fall did not have a fully functioning leak detection system at the time, according to a report obtained by AP. APWeekendReads
It’s not clear why it took so long for the 1/2-inch thick steel line to leak, or whether another anchor strike or other incident led to the rupture and spill. But experts say that a properly functioning leak detection system might have been able to catch that things were amiss before an oil sheen spotted on the surface led to the leak’s discovery.
In its report, Beta said the pipeline’s leak detection system, while not fully functional, still helped to detect and confirm the leak. Federal investigators have previously saidBut in its report the company says the leak wasn’t discovered until 8 a.m. that day, by a third-party contractor who reported an offshore slick and notified personnel on a nearby Beta oil platform. The spill wasn’t reported to authorities until more than an hour later.
The break in the pipe that runs along the sea floor 100 feet under water was less than one-hundredth of an inch wide and more than 20 inches long, the report said. That means the line could have been leaking for hours or days, according to Krishnamoorti and a second expert, pipeline accident consultant Richard Kuprewicz.
As of Nov. 11, the cleanup from the spill had cost the company more than $17 million. It also lost up to about $45,000 in oil, based on an estimated 588 barrels lost at a price of $76 each.
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