Oil Production Resumes After Pipeline Repaired
Oil production on the state’s North Slope was back to normal, a day after workers welded shut a bullet hole that had punctured the trans-Alaska pipeline and forced a shutdown of the system.
“We are ramping up production and basically are operating as we were before this incident occurred,” said Ronnie Chappell, spokesman for BP unit BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., operator of Prudhoe Bay and other oil fields.
The shutdown, which triggered a near-shutdown of North Slope production, caused no long-term effects on BP, Chappell said. The pipeline closure was ordered Thursday, after inspectors found that a gunman had shot the oil line with a high-powered rifle, puncturing it at a spot about 50 miles north of Fairbanks.
A local man was arrested in the shooting and charged with criminal mischief, drunk driving, assault and misconduct involving a weapon.
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