04-05-06
The federal government reports that far more underwater pipelines in the Gulf
of Mexico were damaged by hurricanes last year than they realized.
Weather and the pressure to find divers and oil-rig workers have overtaxed
available resources. There are thousands of miles of pipeline that need to be
inspected and tested before oil and gas can flow again.
Over 100 platforms were destroyed in the gulf during last year's hurricane
season. But assessing that damage was the easy part.
According to Chris Oynes at the federal Minerals Management Service, pipelines
on the seafloor are harder to survey.
"There are about 30 to 35,000 miles of pipelines out in federal water," Oynes
said. "That's like spaghetti."
Repairing and improving the system will be a central topic in Houston, where
thousands of offshore engineers are meeting to discuss protecting the oil
infrastructure of the gulf.
Source: www.npr.org