Officials shut down trans-Alaska oil pipeline after spill

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The trans-Alaska oil pipeline was taken off-line Tuesday after a spill of up to 500 gallons, state officials said.

The crude oil spilled from an aboveground section of the pipeline at a remote gate in the Brooks Range in northern Alaska. The cause of the spill was a failed weld on a threaded O-ring fitting on a bypass line, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said.

Officials closed valves on the line, and there was no further oil spilled.

Alyeska Pipeline Co. officials were assessing when the pipeline could be restarted, spokesman Mike Heatwole said Tuesday.

The pipeline was carrying more than 800,000 barrels of oil when it was shut down, Heatwole said. However, there was much oil stockpiled at the marine terminal in Valdez.

The terminal has a storage capacity of about 7 million barrels, and was between 75 percent and 85 percent full Tuesday.

Heatwole said tankers could continue to be loaded with oil for days with no disruption in supply.

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