BP's Alaska pipelines in danger of rupturing  

The SMH has an article on the maintenance nightmare that is BP's ALaskan oil pipeline system - BP's Alaska pipelines in danger of rupturing.

The huge pipeline system that moves oil, gas and waste between BP's operations in Alaska is plagued by severe corrosion, an internal maintenance report says.

The document, obtained by the independent investigative journalism group ProPublica, shows that as of October 1, at least 148 BP pipelines on Alaska's North Slope received an ''F-rank'' from the company.

BP workers say this means inspections have found that more than 80 per cent of the pipe wall is corroded and could rupture.

Most of the pipelines carry toxic or flammable substances. The document says many metal walls of the F-ranked pipes are worn within millimetres of bursting, risking an explosion or spills.

BP oil workers say the company's fire and gas warning systems are unreliable, that the giant turbines that pump oil and gas through the system are ageing and that some oil and waste holding tanks are verging on collapse.