Oil pipe corrosion big threat as Alaska marks Exxon spill anniversary

April 3, 2006

Since the Exxon Valdez caused the worst oil spill in the nation’s history, tankers that ship Alaska’s crude oil to the West Coast have become stronger and safer.

Two escort vessels guide the tankers out of Prince William Sound. And more equipment is housed nearby to respond if a spill happens again.

With the 17th anniversary of the 11 million-gallon spill garnering attention last month, some say the potential for oil spill disasters has shifted onshore. Corrosion in the aging oil supply system is seen by some as a growing threat to the state’s pipeline system, as evidenced by a leak on the North Slope in March.

“Many of us are seriously concerned about the aging and the deterioration of the pipeline and the facilities,” said John Devens, executive director of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council.

For five days or more, a transit line operated by BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. upstream of the 800-mile long main pipeline leaked up to 267,000 gallons of crude from a small hole onto the frozen tundra.

Transit lines generally have not been subjected to regulations as rigorous as the main line, although state officials say that could change because of the spill. State environmental regulators said the spill will likely lead to fines.

The oil business has been lucrative in Alaska since crude began flowing from the North Slope via the pipeline in the 1970s. But the leak in the transit line has caused some to worry about the condition of the entire pipeline system.

The main pipeline will be 30 years old in 2007. Less than half the oil is flowing now than at peak production, but the oil industry and state officials figure on at least another 30 years of life out of the pipeline.

Mike Heatwole, spokesman for Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., which operates and maintains the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, said the company has enough funds to keep the pipeline running safely, with an annual budget of $350 million for operations and maintenance and another $100 million for capital projects.

But he said he does not know whether the age of the pipeline was causing corrosion. “Probably the best way to describe it is that we’ve never had a leak in the main pipe due to corrosion,” he said.

However, as the oil fields of the North Slope decline, the quality of oil is also declining, meaning coarser and heavier crude is flowing down the pipe, causing stress on it. That’s what happened in the North Slope spill, BP officials said.

The corrosion may have been due to water and sediment that are carried with viscous, or thick, oil, said spokesman Daren Beaudo.

Heatwole said Alyeska was waiting for a detailed report on the leak and could not comment on heavy oil possibly causing the corrosion.

The 1989 spill created a slick that fouled shoreline, killing unknown quantities of animals and plants. The Exxon Valdez skipper, Joseph Hazlewood, later admitted having downed several drinks but said he was not to blame for the accident.

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Energy Oil Gas Alaska

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