HOUSTON: Shell Pipeline Co said on Tuesday that its Eugene Island crude oil pipeline system off the coast of Louisiana remained shut as repair crews continued inspections after an apparent leak of less than a gallon.
The shutdown, which has stretched more than a week, prevents 170,000 bpd of Gulf of Mexico crude oil from coming ashore. Shell spokeswoman Kimberly Windon said the company could not yet speculate on when the system would restart.
She said the small size of the suspected origin of the leak and weather conditions have prompted a more time-consuming inspection and damage assessment.
"The time it will take to inspect the line is undetermined," she said.
The subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell on March 23 shut down the 16-inch (40-cm) pipeline that delivers crude to a Shell Pipeline terminal in Houma, Louisiana, upon finding a light sheen near a pump station in Lake Barre.
Another 20-inch pipeline that flows from Houma to Caillou Island off Louisiana and gathers crude from other pipelines also remains shut down.
<Center><b><i>Copyright Reuters, 2013</b></i><br></center>
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