Enbridge Pipeline break hits U.S., Canada refineries
Mon Jul 26, 2010
HOUSTON, July 26 (Reuters) - An oil pipeline break in Michigan on Monday shut part of a system carrying Canadian crude oil to the U.S. Midwest and southern Canada, Enbridge Energy Partners (EEP.N) said.
No one was hurt, but about 19,500 barrels of oil was released into a creek that then carried the oil into the Kalamazoo River, an Enbridge news release said. Crews with skimming equipment were responding.
Enbridge hoped to have the line repaired and restarted by Wednesday, a spokesman said.
The break was east of Chicago and did not affect the big refineries in that area, but plants in Detroit, Michigan; Toledo, Lima and Canton, Ohio; and Sarnia and Nanticoke, Ontario were downstream from the break, industry sources said.
On the U.S. side, Marathon (MRO.N), Sunoco (SUN.N), BP (BP.L) and Husky (HSE.TO) did not respond to inquiries about their refineries. Marathon has refineries in Detroit and Canton, Ohio; Sunoco and BP have refineries in Toledo, and Husky has one in Lima.
On the Canadian side, officials of Imperial (IMO.TO), Shell (RDSa.L) and Suncor (SU.TO) could not say how their refineries in Ontario would be affected. The area is served by another Enbridge pipeline.
Enbridge said the break is near Marshall, Michigan, in the Lakehead System's Line 6B, a 30-inch, 190,000 barrel per day line carrying light synthetic, heavy and medium crude oil from Griffith, Indiana to Sarnia, Ontario.
The cause of the release was under investigation. (Reporting by Bruce Nichols, additional reporting by Erwin Seba in Houston and Jeff Jones in Calgary; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
Reuters
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