Small Oil Pipeline Leaks Prompt Concern

A large number of small leaks have been detected along a shut-down pipeline linking two massive oil platforms off the Orange County coast, prompting concerns about possible corrosion of the line 700 feet underwater.

The line and a nearby platform remain closed as federal and industry investigators search for the cause of the leaks and gear up to test other underwater pipelines at the 14-year-old Beta complex southwest of Huntington Beach.

The probe began Saturday after an oily sheen was detected on the ocean’s surface near the complex. Although the U.S. Coast Guard reported a sheen 2 miles long and 20 yards to 100 yards wide, federal officials believe less than a barrel of oil actually leaked from the 1.8-mile pipeline.

Of greater concern is that investigators have turned up seven small leaks in no apparent pattern along 3,500 feet of the line, officials said Wednesday, and that an electronic monitoring system that is supposed to detect leaks did not sound an alarm.

The leaks are the most that have been found at a single drilling pipeline in federal waters off California since offshore production began in 1968, a federal spokesman said.

“What we’re looking at is whether this is a corrosion issue with regard to the integrity of the pipe,” said John Romero, spokesman for the U.S. Minerals Management Service, which oversees oil drilling on the outer continental shelf.