Alabama pipeline resumes pumping

As reported by Fox News, Fortune and AJC.com, Colonial Pipeline has restarted the gasoline pipeline in Alabama.

After the US Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a written approval for the restart of the line on 20 September, gasoline was expected to start flowing by the evening of 21 September. This comes after a the pipeline was shut down following a major leak, which caused shortages and surging fuel prices across south USA.

Officials from Colonial Pipeline have provided a statement which claims that the pipeline reopened on the evening of 21 September. It also notes that even though the pipeline has reopened, it will take several days for fuel supplies to return to normal.

US gasoline futures tumbled by 5% on the news of the restart. However, gas futures have surged 9% and spreads had rallied last week after the leak.

The pipeline leak was discovered on 9 September, when workers noticed a strong smell of gasoline and sheen on a manmade retention pond. It has been estimated that 252 000 to 336 000 gal. of gasoline leaked from the line. Sources claimed that this figure was a relatively small sum, however, it has had wider environmental and domestic impacts, with the shutdown of the pipeline leading to dry pumps at gas stations across the South.

The recent leak was “the line’s biggest leak in nearly two decades,” according to Fortune.

Edited from various sources by Anna Nicklin

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/22092016/alabama-pipeline-resumes-pumping/