INGENIEUR
INGENIEUR
Sample Pipeline Leak Incident
In January 2022 , a beach located in Eastern Thailand was contaminated with crude oil due to a pipeline leak in the Gulf of Thailand . The oil spillage into the ocean was estimated to be 50,000 litres . Fortunately , the situation was brought under control by the relevant parties within a short period of time leading to minimum impact on the environment .
Source : www . straitstimes . com / asia / se-asia / thai-beach-declared-disaster-area-after-oil-spill Table 2 : Oil Spill Incident in Thailand
Historical Oil Spill Incidents
There have been multiple incidents of crude oil spillage into our environment ranging from The Amoco Cadiz Oil Spill ( 1978 ) in France , the Kolva River Spill ( 1994 ) in Russia to the infamous Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill ( 2010 ) in USA . Among the examples mentioned , the Kolva River Spill was related to poor pipeline maintenance . Instead of looking into an oil spill occurrence at a faraway nation , let us zoom in to an oil spill event that took place in our neighbouring country Thailand . Any oil spill incident will have a detrimental impact on the environment , and incur financial losses to the stakeholders .
Looking at the highlighted oil spill incidences , are we prepared for a similar incident locally ? The reply is YES . Indeed , oil spillage is an unintentional and undesirable event , and we ought to be prepared for the worst-case scenario via a proper Damage Control strategy . In Malaysia , the Department of Environment is responsible for the overall Oil Spill Response in collaboration with the Marine Department in an operation role . If the effect spreads beyond local boundaries , then there will be involvement from other associated stakeholders such as Ministry of Foreign Affairs per the “ National Oil Spill Contingency Plan ”. Also , the clean-up response can be categorised into Tier 1 ( Asset Owner ), Tier 2 ( State ), and Tier 3 ( Regional ).
Inspection ( part of Maintenance )
There is a famous saying , “ A Stitch in Time Saves Nine ”, meaning if we sort out a problem early it may save a lot of extra work later . This is how inspection comes into the picture in which the owner performs due diligence to ensure that the pipeline is fit-for-service . Basically , a pipeline needs to be inspected externally and internally . Subsea pipeline external inspection is achieved via Remote Operated Vehicles or ROV ( maybe with divers in some cases ) launched from a vessel . ROVs attached with the right equipment can perform many tasks , ranging from Visual Inspection , record Pipeline Position , evaluate Seabed Profile with respect to pipeline ( span ), check Corrosion Protection ( CP ) value , and understand CP Field Coverage Gradient .
Internal inspection of pipelines is challenging regardless of onshore or offshore location , as the team needs to check the conditions inside the pipe . The most efficient way presently is via Intelligent Pigging ( IP ). It is important to bear in mind that IP can pass through a specific design diameter without any obstruction . Thus , it is crucial for the owner to maintain the internal cleanliness of the pipeline regularly . This goal is achieved by using maintenance pigging ( e . g ., Bi- Directional , BiDi Pigs either in the form of Disc , Brush , or Foam ) to remove light deposits from the internal pipe wall surface . Also , gauging survey is done to detect any geometrical restriction prior to the deployment of IP to ensure obstruction-free conditions inside the pipeline .
The main difference between IP and Maintenance Pig is the many sensors attached to the IP which comes in multiple modules or sections , together with the recording system . Also , IPs primarily use specific sensors to check for
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