HGP Nightly News – The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have confirmed that an anomaly was detected along the Gas-to-Energy pipeline, but insist there is no evidence of a rupture.
In a joint statement on Thursday, the agencies said they investigated a report concerning the pipeline and found what they described as a “slight anomaly.”
They maintained there is “no factual basis” for claims that the pipeline has ruptured.
MARAD and the EPA said further inspections are now underway to confirm the pipeline’s continued integrity.
The agencies also disclosed that ExxonMobil has been carrying out a scheduled three-month subsea inspection programme since May using five vessels.
They noted that the pipeline has not yet been commissioned and urged the public to rely on official information to avoid unnecessary alarm.
The statement was issued less than 24 hours after Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat dismissed reports of a pipeline rupture. He later referred media queries to the joint statement issued by MARAD and the EPA.
