A report submitted to federal regulators revealed that the offshore pipeline that leaked tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil off the coast of Southern California in October did not have a fully functional leak detection system

LOS ANGELES - According to a report obtained by the Associated Press, an offshore pipeline leaking tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil off the coast of Southern California ruptured this fall without a fully functional leak detection system.

The report was prepared by pipeline operator Beta Offshore, which is a subsidiary of Houston-based Amplify Energy and has been submitted to federal regulators. It shows that Amplify is investigating whether personnel or control room problems caused the accident, but it did not explain what went wrong with the detection system.

The report was submitted last week and issued to the Associated Press in accordance with public records requirements, but did not provide new details about the anchoring strike of the pipeline by the cargo ship that may have caused the leakage of approximately 25,000 gallons (112,000 liters). Coast Guard investigators Said that they suspected that the pipeline began to leak long after being tripped by a drifting cargo ship during the strong wind in January.

It is not clear why the 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick steel wire leaked for so long, or whether another anchor strike or other event caused the rupture and leakage. But experts say that a properly functioning leak detection system may be able to spot the problem before the oil is found on the surface and the leak is discovered.

"The fact that they didn't let the leak detection system work properly," said Ramanan Krishnamoorti, a plumbing expert at the University of Houston, noting that the company's accounting for the accident appeared to be inconsistent. "For experienced people, when you encounter such a leak, you will see its pressure drop and flow rate characteristics."

The oil spill landed on Huntington Beach and forced the city’s beaches and other beaches along the Orange County coast to close for about a week. After testing confirmed that the fish did not have unsafe levels of oil toxins, fishing in the affected areas only resumed last week.

Beta stated in its report that although the pipeline’s leak detection system is not fully functional, it still helps to detect and confirm leaks. Federal investigators have previously stated that at 2:30 am on October 2nd, a low-pressure alarm sounded, indicating a possible malfunction.

However, the company stated in its report that the third-party contractor did not discover the leak until 8 am that day. The contractor reported the offshore oil slick and notified the personnel of the nearby Beta oil platform. It was not until more than an hour later that the leak was reported to the authorities.

Amy Conway, a spokesperson for Amplify Energy, declined to answer questions from the Associated Press about the leak detection system, citing the ongoing investigation.

"Amplify will continue to work with the regulators investigating this incident," she said.

The incident report submitted to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration requires the company to disclose the pressure of the failed pipeline. Beta stated that the pipeline did not exceed the maximum pressure, but refused to answer what the pressure was when the pipeline leaked. It stated that it will supplement its response after determining the exact time of the accident.

The report stated that a 100-foot (30.5-meter) pipeline along the seafloor ruptured less than one hundredth of an inch (0.2 mm) in width and more than 20 inches (50 cm) in length. According to Krishnamoorti and the second expert, Richard Kuprewicz, a pipeline accident consultant, this means that the pipeline may have been leaking for hours or days.

Kuprewicz said: "It's not like a big crack, but it will move some oil." He added that the report left unanswered questions about the spill and the company's response.

"We don't know how their leak detection system is set up. People think we should be able to see the pressure loss, but sometimes even if the pipeline ruptures, the pressure loss does not appear," he said.

As of November 11, cleaning up the spill has cost the company more than 17 million U.S. dollars. Based on an estimated loss of 588 barrels of US$76 per barrel, it also lost up to approximately US$45,000 in oil.

The damaged part of the pipeline is expected to be removed in accordance with the order of the pipeline safety officer, which requires a metallurgical analysis of the cause of the pipeline failure within 45 days after receiving the order on October 4. However, this did not happen.

Amplify's lawyers stated in a civil lawsuit related to the leak that it is awaiting approval of the repair plan submitted by the company to federal officials on November 19.

The company’s lawyers said in a report to the U.S. Navy that since the diving team that performed this work was called by the U.S. Navy to the Persian Gulf, repairs will be carried out as early as December 15th, and it is more likely to be brought to the Federal Court in February next year. Zhou filed a lawsuit.

Brown reports from Billings, Montana.

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