NEW YORK/ANCHORAGE, Alaska - leak from a pipeline near Alaska's giant Prudhoe Bay oil field had only a minor impact on North Slope oil production, an effect that was rapidly being erased, according to BP Plc, operator of the field, on Monday.
"We had minimal production impact yesterday in association with this event and it's being restored today," said Steve Rinehart, spokesman for BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.
The spill, from a line at the Lisburne field, was reported on Sunday by BP and by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. The amount of crude spilled and the cause of the leak are under investigation.
Lisburne produces about 35,000 barrels per day, Rinehart said. It is part of what is known as the Greater Prudhoe Bay area, which normally produces more than 400,000 bpd.
The 18-inch (45-cm) Lisburne line carries a mixture of crude oil, water and natural gas, according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
Leaked material has covered about 8,400 square feet (780 square meters) of snow-covered tundra, the department said. A small amount of an oil-water mixture continued to drip from the leak late Monday, but the area affected has not expanded, Rinehart said.
"It's just acuminating in kind of a big, cone-shaped pile," he said.
Rinehart said BP has mobilized cleanup workers and equipment and is organizing a cleanup plan. Officials from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Coast Guard are also overseeing the effort, he said.
Analysts said the incident was unlikely to cause disruptions that would affect world oil prices.
Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), the major conduit for Alaskan crude, was not affected and shipped nearly 700,000 bpd on Sunday, a TAPS spokeswoman said.
In 2006, BP faced serious operational issues in Alaska, when it discovered extensive pipeline corrosion following an oil spill. That forced the British oil giant to temporarily shut in much of Prudhoe Bay's output and later pay environmental fines.
Analysts said BP's newest pipeline fixes could result in a reduction of Alaskan crude output, but that may not affect oil prices much since U.S. crude stocks are high amid poor demand from refiners.
"Conditions are vastly different from (2006) when the previous BP incident in Alaska occurred," said Mike Fitzpatrick of MF Global in New York. "At that time every marginal barrel removed from the market had a supportive effect (on prices)."
BP shares fell on Monday by 1.6 percent on the London Stock Exchange.
"We had minimal production impact yesterday in association with this event and it's being restored today," said Steve Rinehart, spokesman for BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.
The spill, from a line at the Lisburne field, was reported on Sunday by BP and by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. The amount of crude spilled and the cause of the leak are under investigation.
Lisburne produces about 35,000 barrels per day, Rinehart said. It is part of what is known as the Greater Prudhoe Bay area, which normally produces more than 400,000 bpd.
The 18-inch (45-cm) Lisburne line carries a mixture of crude oil, water and natural gas, according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
Leaked material has covered about 8,400 square feet (780 square meters) of snow-covered tundra, the department said. A small amount of an oil-water mixture continued to drip from the leak late Monday, but the area affected has not expanded, Rinehart said.
"It's just acuminating in kind of a big, cone-shaped pile," he said.
Rinehart said BP has mobilized cleanup workers and equipment and is organizing a cleanup plan. Officials from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Coast Guard are also overseeing the effort, he said.
Analysts said the incident was unlikely to cause disruptions that would affect world oil prices.
Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), the major conduit for Alaskan crude, was not affected and shipped nearly 700,000 bpd on Sunday, a TAPS spokeswoman said.
In 2006, BP faced serious operational issues in Alaska, when it discovered extensive pipeline corrosion following an oil spill. That forced the British oil giant to temporarily shut in much of Prudhoe Bay's output and later pay environmental fines.
Analysts said BP's newest pipeline fixes could result in a reduction of Alaskan crude output, but that may not affect oil prices much since U.S. crude stocks are high amid poor demand from refiners.
"Conditions are vastly different from (2006) when the previous BP incident in Alaska occurred," said Mike Fitzpatrick of MF Global in New York. "At that time every marginal barrel removed from the market had a supportive effect (on prices)."
BP shares fell on Monday by 1.6 percent on the London Stock Exchange.
