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Drill Site 14 Crude Oil Spill

Location
The release occurred at Drill Site 14, which is in the Greater Prudhoe Bay oil production field on the North Slope of Alaska.
Time/Date
The release was discovered on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 at approximately 2:30 AM by BP Exploration- Alaska, Inc. (BPXA) personnel. The spill was reported to ADEC by BPXA via the Alaska State troopers at 3:40 AM on April 12, 2005.
Spill Id
05399910201
Product/ Quantity
BPXA reports that approximately 1.4 million standard cubic feet of natural gas and an estimated 10 – 30 barrels (420 – 1260 gallons) of crude oil were released as a mist. The mist settled onto the manifold building, pipes, tanks, and snow at Drill Site 14 (DS-14).
Cause
The source of the spill is a weld failure in an artificial lift line that transports pressurized natural gas to Drill Site 14 for injection.

ADEC Situation Reports

Photos

Images may be downloaded for free and used in publications provided credit is given to the source.

April 14-15, 2005

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