EVERETT, Wash. — Airlines that fly in and out of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) are preparing for potential disruptions to fuel delivery as crews work to repair a leak in a pipeline in northern Washington.
Gov. Bob Ferguson has issued an emergency proclamation, warning of significant effects at SEA if the pipeline service is not restored by Saturday evening.
Alaska Airlines, the largest airline at SEA, said they are making plans for the possibility of fuel delivery disruptions.
“To ensure our scheduled service is maintained without significant disruption, we are preparing contingency plans, which include fuel management strategies such as tankering in fuel on inbound flights to Seattle, assessing tech stop options along certain routes to conserve fuel, and maintaining and expanding our trucking operation to bring in additional fuel supply,” Alaska Airlines told KOMO News in a statement.
The airline said current operations are not being impacted at SEA.
“We remain in close communication with Olympic Pipeline, refineries, and our airport partners and will communicate if we begin to see operational impacts,” the statement said.
RELATED | Damage to Olympic Pipeline raises concern about SEA Airport fuel deliveries
Delta Airlines also said they are monitoring the fuel supply at SEA.
“While we work with our fuel supply partners to actively mitigate any disruptions to supply, customers are encouraged to check the status of their flights before departing for the airport until the situation is resolved,” Delta told KOMO News in a statement.
A map of the Olympic Pipeline in western Washington. BP Pipelines North America, Inc.)
The Olympic Pipeline was shut down following a leak in Snohomish County last week. Service was restored on Monday, but had to be halted again on Monday after more leaked fuel was discovered.
BP Pipelines North America, the operator of the Olympic Pipeline, indicated there is no clear timeline of when service will be restored.
RELATED | BP confirms leak in Olympic Pipeline near Everett, oil cleanup underway
According to Ferguson’s emergency proclamation, SEA has ‘limited fuel on hand to sustain operations’.
“The potential for significant disruption to fuel supply for transportation, emergency response, and aviation operations constitutes a threat to the life, health, property, and economic stability of the people of Washington State, and constitutes a public emergency necessitating immediate action,” the proclamation states.
The proclamation lifts state-regulated service hours for commercial motor vehicle drivers who are transporting jet fuel while the pipeline is offline.
3:00 p.m. update from BP:
Olympic Pipeline is actively responding to a release of refined products east of Everett, Washington, working in close coordination with federal, state, tribal and local authorities. Response crews have begun 24-hour excavation operations and are proceeding with excavation of the pipelines to allow for visual inspection. A timeline for restarting the pipeline is not available at this time. Further updates will be provided when available. The safety of personnel, the environment, and the community remain our highest priority.
Pipeline Status
The Olympic Pipeline system is currently shut down.
The system consists of two pipelines at the release location, one16-inch pipeline and one 20-inch pipeline.
The 16-inch pipeline was restarted on Sunday, November 16 following a successful leak test, and fuel deliveries resumed, including jet fuel to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac).
On Monday, November 17, the 16-inch line was shut down to investigate an increase in product observed in a collection point at the response site.
Response Facts
The release was first reported after discovery of sheen in a drainage ditch in an agricultural field on Tuesday, November 11.
As of today, no product has been observed outside of the response area.
Responders have deployed boom and oil recovery equipment to contain and clean up the released product.
The amount of released and recovered product is still being assessed.
Safety is our top priority; we ask the public not to enter the response site.
About Olympic Pipeline
The Olympic Pipeline is a 400-mile pipeline system, laid in a 299-mile corridor, running from Whatcom County, Washington to Portland, Oregon.
The Olympic Pipeline transports refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel to terminal sites in Seattle, SeaTac, Tacoma, and Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.
The Olympic Pipeline is operated by BP Pipelines North America, Inc (bp).
Statement from the Washington Department of Ecology:
“Our cleanup includes using a vacuum truck and adsorbent materials, along with cleaning up contaminated soil. Responders are still determining the amount spilled.”
KOMO News will have an update on the situation at 6 p.m.
