Crescent Midstream resumed service at its Bonefish crude pipeline after shutting for Hurricane Francine which made landfall in Louisiana on September 11. The 144-mile onshore pipeline runs from Empire to St. James in Louisiana and traverses the length of Lafourche Parish.
The pipe had just returned to service after a leak when it was forced to halt again for the storm. On July 27, Bonefish was shut when the system’s pump station in Raceland, Louisiana, spilled 820 bbl into surrounding areas, including a stormwater canal, and some oil eventually reached Bayou Lafourche.
After cleanup and in consultation with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Bonefish restarted with pressure restrictions on September 4. Full operations came into effect on September 7.
During the initial part of its outage, physical Heavy Louisiana Sweet (HLS) crude which trades for supply at Empire had sported premiums to Nymex oil futures but they eased back into discounts vs WTI after a few weeks. At that time, Chevron which operates a terminal in Empire, told shippers that its Empire terminal wouldn't accept crude nominated for delivery to Bonefish during its outage.
