TECHNOLOGY European pipelines have costly spills

Previous Year's Spills [28153 bytes]

Oil pipelines operating on land in Europe in 1994 reported 11 incidents of spills totaling more than 15,000 bbl. Cleanup recovered less than 2,500 bbl.

By late 1995, final costs for cleanup had reached more than $9.7 million, one of the most costly years on record, with two spills accounting for more than $9.1 million. The actual cleanup tab for the year will be higher because costs for the second largest spill were not reported.

Total spill incidents were fewer than for 1993 which remains the worst year since 1971 for volumes spilled and total cleanup costs.

In the largest 1994 spill, more than 8,500 bbl (1,350 cu m) were spilled with only 55 cu m recovered. The second worst incident spilled 1,796 bbl (285 cu m) with no volumes recovered.

Expanded coverage

These figures are part of an annual report from Concawe, Brussels (Conservation of Clean Air and Water, Europe), the oil companies' European organization for environmental and health protection. Figures for 1994 are the most recent compiled.

In its latest report, the organization has incorporated spill data from noncommercial oil pipelines and pumping and delivery stations and has adjusted its previously published data for 1988-93.

Concawe's survey is of 69 companies and other bodies operating oil pipelines in Western Europe during the year.

Companies and organizations reporting operate some 250 different service pipelines in Scotland, England, Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark.

Total length of oil industry cross-country pipelines operating in Western Europe at the end of 1994 was 30,800 km (19,127 miles), compared with 21,600 km (13,414 miles) reported on for 1993.

The increase reflects the adjustment for inclusion of the region's noncommercially owned pipelines.

Costs reported are made up of direct costs for pipeline repair and for site cleanup and restoration. These exclude any consequential costs such as loss of income or legal costs, says Concawe.

Spills categorized

Concawe categorizes spills of more than 1 cu m according to cause. Spills of less than 1 cu m are considered only when they significantly affect the environment.

In its report for 1994, the group has adjusted initially published 1993 statistics (OGJ, Mar. 6, 1995, p. 76) to 13 spills of 6,072 cu m (38,254 bbl). These figures represent the most oil spilled since Concawe began compiling spill data in 1971. Of this, 3,515 cu m were recovered.

The adjusted annual average number of spills since 1971 is 13.8.

Net loss of oil into the environment in 1994 was 1,997 cu m (12,581 bbl) from a gross spillage of 2,434 cu m (15,334 bbl).

Concawe states the net loss represents 0.0003% of total volumes transported during the year. In 1994, organizations transported 635 million cu m (4 billion bbl) and had total trunkline traffic of 113 billion cu m-km.

Incidents

Since 1971, says the group, third-party activity has taken over from corrosion as the most frequent cause of spills and remains the largest cause of oil loss into the environment from pipelines.

Third-party damage has accounted for 49% of volumes spilled since 1971; mechanical failures of all kinds, for 30%.

Figures for 1994, however, bucked this trend: five spills (45.5%) resulted from mechanical failure; one from operational causes; two from corrosion; none from natural hazard; and three (27.3%) from third-part activity.

Mechanical failure-faulty pipe material or failures of gasket material, laminated pipe material, or joint insulation material-accounted for 1,806 cu m, or 74% of volumes spilled.

Third-party damage accounted for 526 cu m of crude oil and petroleum product spilled during 1994, or nearly 22% of total volumes spilled.

In terms of volumes recovered during cleanup, the 1994 figure of 437 cu m was the lowest 1990-1994. Table 2 [15752 bytes] shows spills since 1971 compared with those for 1994.

In the largest spill for 1994, pipewall failure on a 16-in. OD x 0.250-in. W.T. 5L X-52 crude-oil pipeline caused a spill of 1,350 cu m and subsequent fire.

The fire held the amount of recovered oil to only 55 cu m. Full cleanup required more than 400 days and was still in progress more than 1 year after the occurrence.

As of compilation of Concawe's report in November 1995, cleanup for this spill had cost $7,826,000.

Similarly, a 16-in. OD X 02.50-in. W.T. 5L X-52 pipeline ruptured from a material flaw in the top of the pipe, spraying crude oil over a cultivated field. As much as 6,000 sq m of soil were contaminated.

Cleanup was under way more than 6 months after the spill and had cost $1,339,000.