(Reuters) -BP said on Friday its Olympic Pipeline crew excavated more than 100 feet (0.03 km) of pipeline following a leak earlier this month near Everett, Washington, but have not yet identified the source of the leak.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson on Wednesday declared an emergency following the Olympic Pipeline shutdown, which has disrupted jet fuel supplies to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
“Crews have safely excavated over 100 feet of pipeline but have not yet identified the source of the release. Excavation and inspection of the pipeline will continue overnight,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement, adding that the pipeline remains shut at this time.
The London-based oil and gas company did not provide a timeline for restarting the pipeline.
The 400-mile Olympic Pipeline system moves fuel from northern Washington to Oregon. The pipeline transports refined petroleum products including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The fuel leak was first reported on November 11. BP restored on Monday one of the two pipelines east of Everett that had been shut to determine the source of some product discharge.
The restored line was shut down again shortly after, halting refined product deliveries across the system.
(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
