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.