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Project Number 553
Date of Summary May 24, 2006
Subject

Pipeline Damage Assessment from Hurricane Ivan
Performing Activity

Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Technology Services
Principal Investigator

John Skinner 
Contracting Agency Minerals Management Service
Estimated Completion Completed
Description In September 2004, a category-4 hurricane, Hurricane Ivan, moved through the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) with extreme winds and waves exceeding the 100-year storm design criteria of offshore facilities in the storm path. Approximately 10,000 miles of pipelines were in the direct path of Hurricane Ivan. The Minerals Management Service (MMS) received industry damage assessment reports identifying damage to the offshore pipeline infrastructure. This project will determine the type, cause and extent of pipeline damage incurred during Hurricane Ivan and provide guidance for improving pipeline integrity/design to reduce potential damage from future GOM hurricanes.

The scope of work involves the following five main tasks:

  1. Investigate the GOM pipeline infrastructure damage caused by hurricane Ivan. Identification and management of root causes of key areas of damage will be a focus.
     
  2. Investigate how operators dealt with GOM hurricanes and what are the best early warning, emergency response, shut-down and start-up practices.
     
  3. Investigate the current design and installation practices for GOM pipelines and compare with other areas of the world.
     
  4. Investigate both new and proven techniques and technologies which may help mitigate pipeline damage.
     
  5. Create recommendations that identifies best practices and potentially changes to codes to better protect pipelines during subsequent major hurricane events.
Progress
Work completed. MMS received the attached final report on May 23, 2006.
Report
AA (70 pages)  File in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). Pipeline Damage Assessment from Hurricane Ivan in the Gulf of Mexico, Final Report, Det Norske Veritas, May 18, 2006.
 

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