Posted on 08/09/2006 1:35:04 AM PDT by Species8472
Oil giant BP searched for skilled workers and steel pipe Tuesday to replace badly corroded transit lines that this week forced the shutdown of operations at the largest oil field in the U.S.
The world's second-largest oil company announced Sunday it was shutting down the Prudhoe Bay oil field after a small leak was found in one of its three transit lines, which bring oil to the 800-mile trans-Alaska pipeline. BP has 22 miles of transit lines and will be replacing two of the lines, or 16 miles of pipe.
"We have taken all nonessential persons off the slope," Steve Marshall, president of BP Alaska Exploration Inc. told analysts Tuesday. More than 100 workers would be going up in the next few days to remove insulation and get a better look at the corroded pipes, he said.
The company also said it would recruit workers from across North America to complete the inspections and do other work required, including replacing the corroded transit pipes.
"We need to touch more of the pipe to see where these things are," said Bill Hedges, BP's corrosion expert. "We clearly know we weren't finding the worst spots."
The Prudhoe Bay field produces about 400,000 barrels a day — about half of all North Slope production — with production divided equally between the eastern and western sides.
(Excerpt) Read more at adn.com ...
Bob Newton uses ultrasound Friday to scan a section of pipe looking for weak spots along an oil transit pipeline that leaked 201,000 gallons of oil in March at the Prudhoe Bay oil field. BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. began shutting down the Prudhoe Bay oil field Sunday after the discovery of unexpectedly severe corrosion and a spill from a Prudhoe Bay oil transit line.
"BP searches for workers to replace pipes" What are they going to do, give each worker a bucket?
Chico, Pepe, .....Jorge
A friend of mine's son is on his way to Alaska today. He's a pipefitter/welder by trade and signed up for a 3 month contract to help fix the pipeline. $67/hour, 24 hour shifts as much as you can work, and all the 'skeeters and mud you can stand (until the snow starts to blow) He said right now there is 7' of mud, but by the time he is finished in 3 months there will be 12' of snow......
My thoughts exactly. Badly worded headline.
Illegals will gladly replace the pipes Americans won't replace
A call to all the UA (United Association of Journeyman and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the US and Canada) locals in the lower 48 and Canada will have skilled craftsmen on the job in no time.
I turned down the opportunity to work on the pipeline back in the 70's. Worked with a lot of guys who came back with pockets bulging with cash.
Say what y'all may about unions, but you'll notice that the problems are not from shoddy craftsmanship of the original product but instead deterioration of the steel most likely caused by poor maintenance practices. Every weld on that pipeline was x-rayed and signed off by QA inspectors.
While I cannot support organized labor's political views, I can wholeheartedly support the skills of trained craftsmen.
I remember the great Pipeline Rush well.
I didn't have any skills I could put to work, but I considered going on up and finding something in general labor, or just in all the spin off opportunities.
This pipeline was built with the expectation that it would be used for twenty years. That was thirty years ago. Sounds to me like it's done its job. Thanks to all who did their job while building and maintaining it.
We need to find illegals to do the low paying jobs Americans are too lazy to do....
for a British company no less...
I recently watched a great documentary on PBS of the pipline project! I'll bet PBS.org has some great pics and pans of it...
How many illegals are experienced pipefitters/welders?
LOL...Not too damn many...
I know a few folks from BC that will probably be heading up to Alaska.. high pressure welder types... plenty of guys up in Northern BC that do this work too for the oil and gas companies.. I even met a few CANSPEC guys that rolled their truck down a 50' embankment and tossed their X-Ray gear at the same time...The right people for the job are available.
This "every thread must necessarily lead to illegal immigration" is getting tiresome.
yep...agreed
legal immigrant here... we get treated worse... lol
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