Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson declared an emergency after a pipeline leak halted the flow of jet fuel to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, but the airport’s operator and main airlines say flights are still running smoothly.
The Port of Seattle, as well as Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines, the two largest carriers out of Sea-Tac, say there have not been any flight disruptions as a result of the Olympic Pipeline leak.
Alaska said it is implementing contingency plans, including expanding its trucking operation to bring in additional fuel and tankering" in fuel on inbound flights to Seattle. For long-haul flights, the airline is also considering additional stops along the way to refuel, though a spokesperson said it has only taken that step in a handful of cases.
Delta similarly said it is transporting extra fuel to Sea-Tac using tanker trucks to supplement fuel reserves while the pipeline is being repaired.
“Delta is closely monitoring the fuel supply at SEA,” an airline spokesperson said. “Customers will hear from Delta as the situation evolves, and they are encouraged to check the status of their flights … before departing for the airport.”
A spokesperson for Alaska said, “We remain in close communication with Olympic Pipeline, refineries and our airport partners and will communicate if we begin to see operational impacts.”
The Olympic Pipeline, which is operated by BP, has been shut down since Nov. 11. Ferguson said in his emergency proclamation that “routine maintenance” uncovered the leak in Snohomish County. It was first reported after the discovery of a sheen in a drainage ditch on a local blueberry farm, BP said.
BP shut down two pipes as a result, one which measures 16 inches and another that measures 20 inches. The company briefly reopened the 16-inch pipeline before closing it again as it worked to determine where the leak was and what caused it.
As of Friday, both pipes were still shut down, and the leak's cause had not been determined. A spokesperson for Washington’s Department of Ecology said staff are continuing to respond to the spill, with no estimated date for when the pipeline could reopen.
BP said Thursday it began 24-hour "excavation operations to allow for a visual inspection of the pipeline.
Without the Olympic Pipeline, Sea-Tac airport loses access to BP’s Cherry Point refinery in Blaine, the largest refinery in the Pacific Northwest and the largest supplier of jet fuel to both Seattle and Portland International Airport. Cherry Point can process 250,000 barrels of crude oil per day, according to the company.
Jet fuel is made primarily from crude oil and transported from refineries, like Cherry Point, to airports via pipelines, the same systems that carry other refined petroleum products.
Once at the airport, jet fuel is stored in what are known as “fuel farms,” systems that include fuel receiving plants, storage tanks and loading bays. It’s then transported to the planes via another network of pipelines and trucks.
The airlines manage their own fuel deliveries, while the airport is responsible for the infrastructure, like the fuel farms.
To keep fuel flowing without the pipeline, Ferguson temporarily removed state regulations that limited the number of hours truck drivers can work when transporting jet fuel.
Immediately after the pipeline shut down, airport officials began telling airlines to fuel up to capacity before arriving, a practice known as “ferrying” fuel, Ferguson said in his order.
“This declaration will help the airport maintain its fuel supply while the pipeline is offline and limit disruptions to travelers,” he said in a statement.
On Friday, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., wrote a letter to BP demanding the company provide more information on what went wrong.
Sea-Tac “has lost its primary source of jet fuel immediately before the busiest travel holiday of the year,” Cantwell wrote, adding that it would take 90 trucks in a 24-hour period to deliver “even half of the fuel the airport needs.”
“The State of Washington, and the entire Pacific Northwest region, depends on SEA,” Cantwell continued. “All of this activity depends on the ability of over 1,000 airplanes to take off and land each day — which requires reliable access to fuel.”
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