During the discharge an obstacle occurred in the downstream pipeline linking Northeast Gateway to the Hubline pipeline, ensuing in a suspension in the delivery of natural gas.
The completion of this discharge took longer than anyone had expected due to unforeseen issues with the pipeline, but I am pleased with the level of cooperation by everyone to identify and solve the problem said Rob Bryngelson, Excelerate Energy chief executive officer.
Depending on further investigation by AGT, it was determined that a methane hydrate had formed in the pipeline. Hydrate formations can take place when moisture is condensed in the presence of natural gas at high pressure. The moisture in the pipeline was residue from the pipeline’s construction.
On April 18, 2009 the attempt to remove the hydrate blockage was concluded, allowing the Explorer to re-connect to the buoy and finish the delivery of its cargo. The completion of this full cargo discharge resulted in the drying of the pipeline and removal all left over moisture, thereby stopping the formation of hydrates in the pipeline during any subsequent natural gas deliveries.
The Explorer and the Energy Bridge system did well and continued completely functional during the discharge period and assisted AGT with the hydrate removal efforts. Throughout this complete period, Excelerate Energy communicated with the US Coast Guard and EPA region 1 in Boston providing weekly updates on the activities underway.
