Safety

Feds Recommend New Requirements After Natural Gas Disaster

Federal officials are recommending stronger nationwide requirements for natural gas systems following last September's natural gas explosions and fires in Massachusetts.

New Democratic Pipeline Safety Bill Elicits Industry Opposition

House Democrats debuted the first comprehensive pipeline safety reform bill introduced in this Congress, and it contains a number of provisions opposed by both the intrastate and interstate gas transportation industries.

SoCalGas Worker Killed in Gas Line Explosion, 15 Others Injured

A natural gas explosion destroyed a Southern California home, killed a gas company worker and injured more than a dozen other people Monday, authorities said.

Chalmit

Chalmit launched its new Protecta X LED luminaire, which is up to 50% brighter than traditional linear lighting. It has user-definable light distribution, a lifespan of over 120,000 hours at 25° C and optional battery stick, meaning in can be installed in half the time. The Protecta X avoids the ove..

E2S Warning Signals

E2S Warning Signals offers the D1xB2 beacons, which has global approvals with SIL1 and SIL 2 compliance. Light sources are available as either Xenon or LED. Strobes are offered in 5, 10, 15 or 21 Joule Xenon variants with four-flash rate options that are approved for private mode fire alarm use to U..

Mexico Pipeline Explosion Injures 3, 1 Missing

Mexican officials say three people have been injured and one is missing following the explosion of a gas pipeline in the central state of Guanajuato.

Shell Confirms Staff in Iraq Safe, Operations Normal After Rocket Attack

Royal Dutch Shell said on Wednesday that all its staff in Iraq are accounted for and its operations in the country are normal, after a rocket struck the site of headquarters of several foreign oil firms near Iraq's southern city of Basra.

DCP Midstream Shuts Natgas Pipeline in Oklahoma After Explosion

DCP Midstream temporarily shut a natural gas pipeline it owns and operates in Grady County, Oklahoma, after an explosion on Tuesday was caused by work by another company, said a DCP spokeswoman.

Energy Department Offering Grants for Pipeline Projects

The Department of Energy will award $24 million in grants for the development of tools, methods and technologies to cost-effectively enhance the safety and efficiency of the nation’s natural gas production, gathering, storage, and transmission infrastructure. Grants will be as much as $3 million but no lower than $1 million.

First Pipeline Safety Bill Introduced

Two Massachusetts senators, one of them a Democratic presidential candidate, have introduced the first pipeline safety bill as Congress works to put together legislation reauthorizing the Pipeline Safety Act, which expires on Sept. 30.

NTSB Reveals Findings of 3-Year Gas Explosion Investigation

A gas company’s faulty equipment is the most likely cause of an explosion at a suburban Maryland apartment complex that killed seven people in 2016, according to federal report.

Iranian Gas Platform Fire Contained, No Fatalities Reported

A fire that broke out on a platform of the South Pars gas field in the Gulf on Wednesday has been contained and no fatalities were reported, Iran's oil ministry news agency SHANA said.

5 Workers Hurt in Houston-Area Natural Gas Line Explosion

Five workers have been injured when a natural gas line exploded in a residential neighborhood southeast of Houston. The blast occurred as a CenterPoint Energy contractor was working along a line Thursday.

Blast Injures 14 on Saipem-Operated Ship in Caspian Sea

An explosion occurred Wednesday evening on the vessel “Israfil Huseynov” operated by Saipem for pipelaying in the Caspian Sea in the framework of the Shah Deniz II project.

Report: Blaze Engulfs 2 Iranian Pipelines, 5 Workers Injured

Iran's official IRNA news agency says firefighters have brought under control a blaze that engulfed two oil and gas pipelines in southwestern, oil-rich Khuzestan province.

Congress Begins to Consider Changes to Pipeline Safety Law

Stephen Barlas, Contributing Editor, Washington, D.C. Congress had its first hearings in April in both the House and Senate on reauthorization of the Pipeline Safety Act, which loses its current authority Sept. 30, 2019.  There will perhaps be some new safety requirements passed given that both De..

Mass. Budgets Statewide Review of Natural Gas Systems

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed a spending bill that funds a statewide examination of Massachusetts’ natural gas distribution system, a review that was ordered after last September’s gas explosions near Boston that killed one person, injured 25 others and damaged or destroyed dozens of build..

TANAP’s Seismic Fault Crossing Posed Challenges For Welding

The Trans Anatolia Natural Gas Pipeline transports Azeri gas from the Shah Deniz field through Turkey and Europe. Construction of the technically challenging project was complicated by the North Anatolian Fault.

Letter from PRCI President Cliff Johnson: Investing in Research to Improve Pipeline Safety

Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) exists as a way for its members, who are pipeline operators, service providers and other industry stakeholders, to collectively and collaboratively, conduct research, develop, and evaluate new and emerging technologies that have the potential to improve..

Mariner East 1 Pipeline Operational Again

Energy Transfer LP announced that effective Monday, April 23 Mariner East 1 pipeline has resumed operations. The 350-mile, 8-inch NGL pipeline transports NGLs across Southern Pennsylvania to Energy Transfer’s Marcus Hook Industrial Complex in Delaware County, PA.

API-AOPL Annual Report Shows Liquids Pipeline Incidents Down Significantly

The American Petroleum Institute (API), in coordination with the Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL) has released the 2019 API-AOPL Liquids Pipeline Performance Report, which details a 20% decrease in liquids pipeline incidents impacting people or the environment over the last five years despite increases in both pipeline mileage and barrels delivered.

Mass. Budgets Statewide Review of Natural Gas Systems

Gov. Charlie Baker has signed a spending bill that funds a statewide examination of Massachusetts’ natural gas distribution system. The review was ordered after the Sept. 13 gas explosions that killed one person, injured 25 others and damaged or destroyed dozens of buildings in the Merrimack Valley.

Con Edison Halts Gas Hookups, Citing Interstate Pipeline Constraints

Consolidated Edison Inc said it will impose a moratorium on new natural gas service in parts of New York's Westchester County to protect system reliability due to limited space on interstate pipelines to the region.

At Least 5 Killed in Iran Gas Pipeline Explosion

A gas pipeline explosion in southwestern Iran killed at least five people and injured six, the Tasnim news agency reported.

Andax

Andax Andax introduced the Xtreme Shell Pipe Flange Containment System, a reusable, hard containment shell designed to fully enclose a pipe flange, manifold or any other leak point. The drain hose diverts the leak to a closed container, thereby reducing the potential dange..

Pure Safety Group

Pure Safety Group Pure Safety Group (PSG) unveiled its Guardian Fall Protection S1 safety harness, which is the first in a series of innovative new harnesses designed with three levels of features for various work scenarios. All harnesses meet OSHA standards, while exceedi..

Unwanted Night Moves

Whenever the subject of internal corrosion in pipelines comes up, it rekindles some unpleasant memories from my extensive time as a pipeline company spokesperson. Being part of an emergency response team for over 12 years was rewarding in many ways, but there was always an uneasy feeling when the phone would ring in the middle of the night.

PHMSA and Advisory Group Finalizing New Safety Program

A Voluntary Information Sharing (VIS) advisory group, working with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), voted to recommend a new, industry-wide safety reporting program in which employees, in a “no-fear” environment, would report pipeline operational and infrastructure risks and hazards. Reports would be “de-identified” and centralized. The goal is that potential problems would be found and corrected before they worsened, possibly becoming emergency situations.

Storage Tanks Explode at Venezuela Heavy Oil Project

Two storage tanks have exploded at the Petro San Felix heavy-crude upgrading project in eastern Venezuela, according to an oil industry source and a legislator.

Panhandle Eastern Capacity Reduced by Missouri Pipeline Blast

Energy Transfer said it has reduced mainline capacity on its Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line system after a fiery rupture downstream of its Centralia Compressor Station. The blast caused no serious injuries, but power to several homes was interrupted, authorities said.