Seven Leaks Discovered in Shut-Off Oil Pipeline

Seven small leaks have been detected along a shut-down pipeline linking two massive oil platforms off the Orange County coastline, prompting concerns about possible corrosion of the line 700 feet under water.

The line and a nearby platform remain closed as federal and industry investigators search for the cause of the leaks and gear up to test other underwater pipelines at the 14-year-old Beta complex southwest of Huntington Beach.

The probe began Saturday after an oily sheen was spotted on the ocean’s surface near the complex. Although the Coast Guard reported a sheen two miles long and 20 to 100 yards wide, federal officials say they believe that less than a barrel of oil actually leaked from the 1.8-mile pipeline.

Of greater concern is that investigators have found seven small leaks in no apparent pattern along 3,500 feet of the line, officials said Wednesday, and that an electronic monitoring system that is supposed to detect leaks did not sound an alarm.

The leaks are the most found at a single drilling pipeline in federal waters off California since offshore production began in 1968, a federal spokesman said.

“What we’re looking at is whether this is a corrosion issue with regard to the integrity of the pipe,” said John Romero, spokesman for the U.S. Minerals Management Service, which oversees oil drilling on the outer continental shelf.

Pipeline leaks are rare off the California coast and usually are caused by such problems as a dropped anchor or faulty flange, Romero said.

News of the leak comes amid a rising controversy over whether to allow new oil development off the Central Coast, with Gov. Gray Davis and a number of other state officials speaking out against the plan. Environmentalists say the pipeline problem, at a complex run by an established oil developer, only underscores the dangers of offshore drilling.

The three-platform Beta complex is operated by Aera Energy LLC, co-owned by Mobil Oil Corp. and Shell Oil Co.

No oil has flowed through the line since Saturday, when the sheen was spotted on the ocean surface near Platform Eureka.

“That line will not be placed back in service until it is repaired and all this corrected, with all the regulatory approvals,” Aera Energy spokeswoman Susan Hersberger said.

Aera Energy ordered operations halted at Platform Eureka and in the pipeline connecting it to Platform Elly. Pressure testing detected a leak in the line, which carries a mix of oil, water and gas from Eureka to Elly.

That triggered more testing this week, when a remote-operated submarine scrutinized the pipe, which was filled with salt water and dye. The discovery of the seven small leaks has left investigators puzzled and readying more tests. Aera and federal officials emphasize that information is sketchy.

“At this point, I don’t think we understand enough of what we have to be able to draw any conclusions,” Hersberger said.

“We have our engineers, our environmental technicians and engineers, looking into this. We are calling on expert resources outside the company.”

The Minerals Management Service is investigating whether the pipeline problem constitutes noncompliance with federal rules, which automatically triggers a review for possible civil penalties, Romero said.

One question facing officials is why pipeline problems were not detected earlier.

The electronic monitoring system to detect leaks did not show any changes in pressure in the faulty pipeline before the Saturday shutdown, Hersberger said. The amount of fluid released last week may have been too small to register a pressure change, she said.

Any corrosion problems are theoretically caught with special testing that measures the thickness of the pipeline, Romero said. Results are supposed to be analyzed every 90 to 120 days, and the last review found compliance with the standards of the National Assn. of Corrosion Engineers, he said.

No one would predict Wednesday when normal operations would resume at the Beta unit.

“It’s too early to tell,” Romero said. “We have to wait to see what we’re looking at.”

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Tracing the Trouble

Oil leaking from an underwater pipeline resulted in a 2-mile-long spill off Huntington Beach.