This story has additional information on the pipeline rupture in the Gulf Of Mexico which was purpoted caused by an anchor dragging accorss the pipeline.

British-Borneo's Allegheny field shut by pipe rupture

Filed: 01/25/2000 By Dudley White

c.2000 Bloomberg News

London, Jan. 24 (Bloomberg)  British-Borneo Oil & Gas Plc, a U.K. oil and gas exploration company, said it was forced Friday to halt output at one of its fields in the Gulf of Mexico after a pipeline ruptured.

The Allegheny platform could stay shut for as long as two weeks while Equilon Pipeline Co. fixes the pipeline, which links the field to the shore, British-Borneo said. The field, which accounts for about a third of the company's output, only began producing oil last year.

The ruptured pipeline is the latest in a series of problems to have dogged British-Borneo's Gulf of Mexico operations. The company's oil production had been expected to soar in the coming years, led by Allegheny and the nearby Morpeth field.

"This really isn't what they needed," said Mark Redway, an oil analyst at Greig Middleton. Still, "they're going to lose two weeks of production but it's not a big problem," he said.

British-Borneo fell 3.5 pence, or 3.3 percent, to 103 pence since March 1999. The company's shares fell 38 percent on Dec. 20 when it said takeover talks failed and that development costs for the two Gulf of Mexico fields would more than treble in 2000.

Allegheny is expected to produce about 21,000 barrels of oil a day this year. British-Borneo's overall production is expected to be 60,000 barrels a day.

The rupture occurred after a drilling rig dragged its anchor across the pipeline, British-Borneo said. Allegheny lies in 3,000 feet of water off the coast of Louisiana and is estimated to hold 52 million barrels of oil and gas reserves, about 20 percent of the company's overall reserves.

Problems with ocean currents in September and October forced the company to stop drilling at Allegheny and Morpeth, delaying the start of full production and raising development costs to $65 million in 2000 from an earlier estimate of $20 million, British-Borneo said last month.

While Allegheny began producing oil on schedule in November, two of the fields three wells were faulty and had to be closed.

Equilon Pipeline Co., which operates the pipeline, is a unit of Equilon Enterprises LLC, a joint venture owned by Texaco Inc. and the Royal Dutch/Shell Group.

link to story:

www.nj.com

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 25, 2000

Answers

"The rupture occurred after a drilling rig dragged its anchor across the pipeline..."

How is this in any way Y2K-related? I haven't read all of these "glitch reports" being posted lately, so I decided to check this one out. Are the all like this? What has this got to do with Y2K? I'm confused and a little frustrated. Is everyone straining at gnats here? Just asking...

-- RPGman (tripix@olypen.com), January 25, 2000.

RP, we need to look at the whole picture. no, this problem is definitely not y2k related, however when you look at the whole picture of refinery problems, nuclear shutdowns, and fuel shortages in the east it is definitely important. for instance, an oil tanker sunk very recently and lost 900 some (i believe) metric tons of oil. that was not y2k either (i don't think) but nonetheless it was important to post it as it affects the overall problem of fuel supply. oil prices are skyrocketing. we will see the difference at the gas pump and when we buy fuel oil, etc.

when you come down to it, it really doesn't matter if we are cold and out of fuel due to y2k or due to other problems, the end result to us is that we are cold and out of fuel. and there certainly is reason to believe that many of the refinery explosions and problems which have caused shutdowns and decreased production ARE y2k related.

i applaud Carl for posting these items. i think he has done an outstanding job in keeping this forum informed and has gone above and beyond the call of duty.

there is a lot of info on this forum that it would be hard for us to find if it did not exist. just keep watching and see what happens. none of us knows yet. we are all watching and waiting.

Carl, keep up the good work (as long as you can find the time). it's been a great benefit to all of us.

-- boop (leafyspurge@hotmail.com), January 25, 2000.

RPGman:

Last year a pipeline ruptured after a "computer upgrade" and killed three people. This was in Washington state. This was y2k related. The rupture was an overpressure failure.

Since Jan 1 this year, there have been three, I believe, pipelines ruptured. None, it appears, from overpressure. We have had corrosion on one, dropped or dragged anchor on another, the third I don't recall.

This would spark the interest of any insurance company actuary, and it has attracted the attention of people following the tough luck the oil sector appears to be having since Jan 1 with fires, explosions, ruptures and unplanned shutdowns.

It's like your teenage child, after having his third accident driving your car, telling you how lucky he is this one is not his fault either, although in all three cases "someone" ran him off the road.

Tom Beckner

-- Tom Beckner (tbeckner@xout.erols.com), January 25, 2000.

Tom, Couldn't have said it better myself!! Anyone who believes anything the oil companies, the mass media, etc, are saying about possible y2k related incidents should look again at the evidence on this forum and others.

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 25, 2000.

It occurs to me that there are three kinds of polly:

Polly1) The reported event is not a Y2K event, so it should not be reported here.

Polly2) The reported event is a Y2K event, but it is too minor an event for consideration.

Polly3) It may be a Y2K event, perhaps even major, who knows?. But these types of accidents happen all the time, they are not so unusual as to cause even a cough - let alone a choke.

Now, one of these three types of pollies can chime in on virtually every news report, and do. RPGman is an example of polly1. Krepansky is an exaple of polly3. If memory serves, ImSo and Servant usually fulfill the roles of polly2.

There is no way that Carl, Homer, or others may post a news story without the benefit/obfuscation of one of these pollies' input. There is no way to satisfy all at once, and still report ANY news. I am amazed at the dedicated pollies and trolls attached to this forum. I am astounded that not a single report goes by unchallenged. And now I at least I beleive I discern the pattern - I see how it is done.

I suspect this is not a revelation for the regulars here. It is just a personal revelation. Or am I just more than usually paranoid this evening?

Amazed,

-- Uhhmmm... (JFCP81A@aol.com), January 25, 2000.

One could postulate a deliberate campaign to intimidate, frustrate and invalidate the reporting that goes on here. Other, simply cannot believe that government, the mass media and corporations (which nowadays are pretty much one and the same) would lie to them on a wholesale scale. Then again, there are many people who lack the intelligence and insight necessary to comprehend a broader picture. And those of us who seek the truth, must tolerate "the pollies" in any case..so long as they don't disrupt the ongoing conversations. Questioning is positive and keeps those of us who see a problem from getting carried away? This forum, wild as it gets, is the best form of democratic free speech available today.

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 26, 2000.

Well put Boop.

-- sandy (rstyree@overland.net), January 26, 2000.

Carl,

Your humility is inspiring. Thanks for the sanity.

Sincerely,

-- Uhhmmm... (JFCP81A@aol.com), January 27, 2000.