News and Media Releases

Media Alert: Eugene Island Incident

28/07/2009

Tuesday, July 28, 9 a.m. CDT

A second Marine Spill Response Center vessel is on-scene for oil-water recovery from Saturday's crude oil release into the Gulf of Mexico.  Shell Pipeline Company is coordinating the response involving the Eugene Island Pipeline System's 20-inch diameter line located 33 miles offshore, 60 miles southwest of Houma, La.

Two aircraft "sorties" of chemical dispersants were applied to the sheen on Monday and additional sorties are planned for today.  The U.S. Coast Guard has approved use of chemical dispersants. 

A dive vessel will arrive this afternoon and divers will inspect the source point so that a repair plan can be developed.

Helicopter flyovers are conducted regularly to monitor the impacted area.

Based on Shell pipeline control center calculations, an estimated 1,400 barrels (42 gallons per barrel) were released into the Gulf.  The oil is not expected to reach the shoreline.

Cause of the release is under investigation. The Eugene system will be restarted following any needed maintenance and a thorough inspection.  At this time, we cannot forecast when restart will occur.  Our top priorities during the response and restart phases are safety and the environment.

Notifications have been made to the National Response Center, U.S. Coast Guard and other regulatory agencies.

The Eugene Island Pipeline System moves crude oil from offshore through a 20-inch diameter line to Caillou Island, La., then in a 16-inch diameter line to the Houma terminal, a distance of approximately 154 miles.  Shell Pipeline Company LP is the operator and has a 23 percent ownership interest in the system.   

Shell Pipeline Company LP operates more than 1,200 miles of offshore pipelines, more than 600 miles of onshore pipelines, and over 10 terminals throughout the Gulf of Mexico and southern Louisiana with a capacity exceeding 1.5 million barrels of crude per day. We typically bring to market more than 1 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude from approximately 150 offshore production platforms in shallow and deep waters. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell Oil Products US, a unit of Shell Oil Company.

Impact area:  Ship Shoal blocks 140 to 142.

Depth of water at the source is approximately 60 feet.
 
Eugene system 20-inch pipeline was inspected via "smart pig" technology in 2008-09 and 2003.  Results from both inspections were "clean runs."

System has a capacity of 173,000 barrels a day, but was operating at about 100,000 barrels a day at the time of the release.

Owners of the Eugene system in addition to Shell:  Mobil Eugene Island Pipeline Company, ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, Marathon Offshore Pipeline Company LLC, Chevron Pipeline Company, and Conoco Offshore Pipeline Company.

Shell Media Line:  713-241-4544