Pipeline Shutdown Successful

The southern end of the pipeline was shut down for approximately 14 hours at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 20, for scheduled maintenance. One pint of oil was spilled near Pump Station 11 during a drain down process. It was immediately cleaned up. During the shutdown, no safety issues were identified.

The purpose of the shutdown was to conduct tests on mainline valves to determine internal seal integrity. Additional maintenance work was performed at several pump stations and on the Valdez Marine Terminal. Thirty-eight valves were tested. Early results indicate that 34 valves sealed and four need further analysis. These tests are part of a four-year comprehensive valve testing and assessment program to test each of the 177 mainline valves in the pipeline system. The pipeline was restarted at 7:30 p.m.

“This is an integral part of our long-life strategy to meet the transportation needs for crude oil into the next century,” stated Lee Jones, Senior Vice President for the Fairbanks Business Unit.

Program valve testing began last summer when 38 valves were tested. Two valves did not meet Alyeska’s standards. These valves will be replaced or repaired during a major shutdown of the pipeline scheduled for late September.

North Slope producers were asked to reduce their flow to 40 percent of their normal production to Pump Station 1. During the maintenance shutdown, Pump Stations 1 through 4 continued to operate at the reduced flow rate. Relief tanks were used at Pump Stations 1,3 and 5 during the shutdown.

No one was hurt while performing work during the pipeline shutdown.