Leak stops production at Independence Hub

Enterprise Product Partners has announced that production on Independence Hub has been shut-in as a result of a leak on the Independence Trail export pipeline.

The leak was first suspected on April 8, prompting the shutdown of operations as a precaution. The leak was confirmed this morning using a remotely operated vehicle. Initial investigations show the leak came from a stainless steel o-ring gasket, located on a flex joint in around 85 feet (26 m) of water. The flex joint assembly connects the pipeline to the platform and allows the pipeline to handle movement caused by the platform. Enterprise is currently dispatching equipment and personnel to make repairs to the gasket. The equipment will arrive within the next few days, with repairs taking between one and four weeks. No fires, injuries or environmental damage were associated with the leak, and Enterprise has notified regulatory agencies of the situation. Independence Hub is a gas production platform located at Mississippi Canyon Block 920 in the Gulf of Mexico. Enterprise Product Partners own 80 percent of the platform and 100 percent of Independence Trail, a 134-mile (216 km) pipeline that transports gas from Independence Hub to the Tennessee Gas Pipeline.

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