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The Olympic Pipeline shut down affects the fuel supply of airlines

BP's Olympic Pipeline System remained offline Monday while the oil giant, along with local and state authorities, continued to investigate what caused the leak in Everett Washington. Major airlines are implementing contingency plans in order to reduce the impact of flight cancellations during Thanksgiving travel.

First reported on 11 November, the fuel leak was discovered. BP reopened one of two pipelines that were shut east of Everett to investigate the cause of the product leak. Shortly after the line was restored, it was shut down once again to stop refined product deliveries.

Over 200 feet of pipe have been excavated so far. Crews will continue operations overnight tonight, BP stated in an emailed message on Monday.

The company has not yet determined a timeline for restarting this pipeline. It is also assessing the amount of product that has leaked.

The Olympic Pipeline System, a 400-mile pipeline system that runs from Washington's northern border to Oregon, transports refined petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel.

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency last week following the shutdown of a pipeline that has caused a disruption in jet fuel supply to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

A spokesperson stated that the operations at Sea-Tac were not affected by major disruptions, as airlines have implemented contingency plans. We encourage passengers to contact their airline about their flight.

CONTINGENCY PLAN

Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines, two major airlines, have developed plans to reduce the impact on flights during Thanksgiving week. Delta said it had added fuel stops on a number outbound long-haul domestic flights and transported additional fuel by tanker truck into Sea-Tac in order to supplement the fuel reserves.

Alaska Airlines has added fuel stops to approximately 12 flights a day and increased its trucking operation to bring extra fuel.

We continue to minimize the impact of the Olympic Pipeline leak. Alaska Airlines issued a statement saying that they did not expect any disruptions to their operations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport during the Thanksgiving Travel Week. (Reporting and editing by David Gregorio, New York)

(source: Reuters)