Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. shut the Trans Alaska Pipeline Saturday as it performs maintenance on two of the line’s pumping stations. The Anchorage, Alaska-based operator halted operation of the line south of Prudhoe Bay at 6 a.m. local time, said Michelle Egan, a spokeswoman for Alyeska, in an e-mailed statement.
Repairs will replace valves at Pump Station 4 and pipe will be straightened and rearranged at Pump Station 11, the company said. The line consists of 11 pumping stations, according to Alyeska data.
Oil flow will be halted until the work is complete, estimated to be sometime Sunday night, Egan said. Oil that would normally flow on the line, capable of moving as much as 2.14 million barrels a day, will be stored until start up, she said.
The 800-mile line runs from Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope to Valdez, the northernmost ice-free port in the U.S.
BP Plc, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil Corp. own a combined 96 percent of Alyeska. — Bloomberg News
