Alaska State Troopers find additional bullet strikes in pipeline

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Petroleum News Alaska

Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. said Oct. 19 that additional bullet strikes have been found in the trans-Alaska pipeline.

Alaska State Troopers notified Alyeska Oct. 18 that at least four additional bullet strikes had been discovered near milepost 400 of the pipeline. Alyeska said the discovery was approximately one mile north of where a bullet punctured the pipeline earlier in the month.

The additional strikes were discovered as part of a detailed examination of the pipe by Alaska State Troopers and Alyeska which is part of the ongoing investigation into the Oct. 4 incident. Alyeska said these bullet strikes penetrated the outer insulation jacket and, while they didn't cause any leaks, did cause sufficient damage to the pipe wall to require repair.

Alyeska said that the repair required two sleeves, to be installed Oct. 19.

Crews continuing cleanup operations at milepost 400 were cleared out for several hours until the integrity of the pipeline could be determined.

Alyeska said it is not known at this time whether these bullet strikes existed prior to the Oct. 4 incident. The pipeline was not shut down and will continue operating while the repair work is done.

Alyeska said it has documented more than 50 cases over the years in which bullets have struck the pipe. Some of those incidents also required repairs to the pipe.