The missing story on Collins and the fuel pipe fiasco

Written By: - Date published: 3:04 pm, September 22nd, 2017 - 64 comments
Categories: accountability, journalism - Tags: , ,

The rumours have been going round for a while – but this is an interesting development…

64 comments on “The missing story on Collins and the fuel pipe fiasco ”

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  1. gsays 1
    22 September 2017 at 3:16 pm

    To be honest I try and stick to positive, future building stories, but this has an irresistible appeal.
    The lessons that could be learned if greed, cover-up and senior politicians have truth to them.

  3. Carolyn_nth 3
    22 September 2017 at 3:25 pm

    Posted on RNZ website about half an hour ago:

    Images show digger to blame for rupture – Refining NZ – images at the link.

    Refining New Zealand said the images showed tooth indentations and scrapping and gouging were caused by digger’s bucket.

    It said the photos also show where the pipe ruptured after sustaining earlier damage.

    …
    But a Northland conservation group said MPI [Ministry for Primary Industries] could not know for sure when the site was last dug over for swamp kauri.
    …
    Northland Environmental Protection Society president Fiona Furrell said people have been digging up swamp kauri in Northland for years without MPI’s knowledge.

    • tracey 3.1
      22 September 2017 at 4:36 pm

      WTF. I do hope taxpayers are not pating a penny toward any of this fixing up

    • Andre 3.2
      22 September 2017 at 4:53 pm

      Gotta say, given the size of that hole and that the pipe is rated to 9 MPa (1300 psi) operating pressure I’m surprised it only spilled 70,000 litres.

      • lprent 3.2.1
        22 September 2017 at 5:20 pm

        These days the pressure sensors are in the pipe casing at regular intervals, digital so they are trusted to either be right or very wrong, remotely testable, and computer monitored.

        It would have seen a pressure drop, tested the sensor(s), seen the expected pressure drop in neighbouring sensors and immediately shut down pumping and closed the nearest valves. It is only a 10 inch pipe, so the volumes shouldn’t have been 70 cubic metres unless the valves were a long way apart.

        http://www.handymath.com/cgi-bin/cylinder.cgi
        Ummm looks like 1381 metres of the pipe volume spilled. Ok that is reasonable. I wouldn’t have expected that they’d have valves too close.

        • Andre 3.2.1.1
          22 September 2017 at 5:49 pm

          If you’re really curious or bored, here’s a massive pdf full of maps of the route.

          http://www.refiningnz.com/media/91698/a08063-011-4002d.pdf

          The yellow circles appear to be the valves, and if the damage is where I think it is it’s in a long stretch between valves.12ish km.

          • lprent 3.2.1.1.1
            22 September 2017 at 10:07 pm

            Wow in that case they were FAST plugging it.

            • Graeme 3.2.1.1.1.1
              22 September 2017 at 10:27 pm

              Like you said above, the line would have shut down pretty quickly, and probably automatically. Once the pressure dissipated the flow would reduce almost to nothing, especially if the water table was above the pipe, which would be probable there. The pegging would have been as much to stop debris getting into the pipe as much as containing the contents.

              The contingency plan would swing into action as soon as they realised they had a leak, hence the early reports of having a helicopter along the line to find the problem.

  4. TootingPopularFront 4
    22 September 2017 at 3:28 pm

    So, no accountability for Judith until after the election – surely some news outlet would take the risk on this story, given the details appear uncontested? This story has all of the elements required to severely embarrass the government on the eve of the election – high risk/high reward – what about NewsHub, they often run balanced articles?

  6. mauī 6
    22 September 2017 at 4:26 pm

    There appears to be a massive chunk missing from a steel pipe, and no one seems to be able to remember as far back as last thursday to know what was going on. Ok!

    • Graeme 6.1
      22 September 2017 at 5:33 pm

      Na, nothing missing, apart from what the digger scraped off. The pipe has failed along the line of the scrape mark and opened out with the pressure.

  7. rod 7
    22 September 2017 at 4:44 pm

    Who owns the digger and who do they work for ?

  8. Maggie 8
    22 September 2017 at 4:54 pm

    transparency? The people of NZ deserve to know if the is indeed about Oravida or any has any connection to Oravida. It could be seen as a coverup if the truth is withheld.

  9. rawshark-yeshe 9
    22 September 2017 at 5:40 pm

    Seems the Oravida plant is less than 2 kms away .. also not called Oravida now apparently ?

  10. Cinny 10
    22 September 2017 at 5:44 pm

    crushers husband has been a busy boy

    https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/individual/search?q=David+WONG-TUNG&roleType=ALL&indEntityTypes=ALL&indDirStatus=ALL&indEntityStatusGroups=ALL&addressKeyword=&advancedPanel=false#results

    All the pieces are there…
    https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/1814679/directors?backurl=%2Fcompanies%2Fapp%2Fui%2Fpages%2Findividual%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DDavid%20WONG-TUNG%26start%3D25%26entitySearch%3D%26addressKeyword%3D%26postalCode%3D%26country%3D%26addressType%3D%26advancedPanel%3Dfalse%26roleType%3DALL%26indEntityTypes%3DALL%26indEntityStatusGroups%3DALL%26indDirStatus%3DALL%26sf%3D%26sd%3D

    I imagine with claws in so many companies it would be hard to keep track of all the paper work… or was he planning on this entity being struck off? https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/3909858?backurl=%2Fcompanies%2Fapp%2Fui%2Fpages%2Findividual%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DDavid+WONG-TUNG%26start%3D25%26entitySearch%3D%26addressKeyword%3D%26postalCode%3D%26country%3D%26addressType%3D%26advancedPanel%3Dfalse%26roleType%3DALL%26indEntityTypes%3DALL%26indEntityStatusGroups%3DALL%26indDirStatus%3DALL%26sf%3D%26sd%3D

    So he is a director of a company whose shares are owned by ‘kauri’ companies…. well, well, well

    https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/3112805/shareholdings?backurl=%2Fcompanies%2Fapp%2Fui%2Fpages%2Findividual%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DDavid+WONG-TUNG%26start%3D25%26entitySearch%3D%26addressKeyword%3D%26postalCode%3D%26country%3D%26addressType%3D%26advancedPanel%3Dfalse%26roleType%3DALL%26indEntityTypes%3DALL%26indEntityStatusGroups%3DALL%26indDirStatus%3DALL%26sf%3D%26sd%3D

  11. David Mac 11
    22 September 2017 at 5:58 pm

    Notorious cowboys the Kauri extractors. A few years ago Far North Council environmental officer Michael Nager was driving his council ute to a related court hearing to give evidence. A vehicle behind him kept flashing it’s lights. He pulled over and was beaten, stabbed and had bleach thrown in his eyes. Obviously his evidence never made it to that day’s hearing.

    I think the best way to find out who was doing the digging is to drop the pipeline repair and aviation damages bill on the property owner’s desk. I suspect he would point the finger before losing his farm.

  12. weka 12
    22 September 2017 at 6:00 pm

    Good on Tom Hunt for being as forthright as he probably could.

  13. David Mac 13
    22 September 2017 at 8:43 pm

    It looks like the pipe was damaged some time ago, if it was a crew working for our energy minister’s husband’s company I can well imagine the National party campaign manager calling in 11th hour cap-in-hand favours requesting the story be put on ice.

    If the Kauri digger driver was anything like the ones I know a question relating to checking what’s under the ground before digging starts would be met with silence.

    It’s a neo-liberal circle, an illuminating illustration of exploitive greedy neo-liberalism vs turning a ‘go to sleep at night’ dollar.

    All those people unable to get to funerals, weddings, reunions, meetings. All those jets standing idle on the tarmac.

    “That’s a nice new Bentley Judith.”

  14. newsense 14
    22 September 2017 at 8:51 pm

    Judith did it herself to get on morning report and wateva Campbell’s show is. Sick of Bill English and Ardern getting all the coverage.

    • Incognito 14.1
      22 September 2017 at 8:53 pm

      Out of interest, did she use her nails or her teeth?

      • Andre 14.1.1
        22 September 2017 at 8:56 pm

        Her eyebrows.

        • Incognito 14.1.1.1
          22 September 2017 at 9:00 pm

          I just hope she’s got a license for those; they should be registered as lethal weapons of mass destruction.

          • Grace Miller 14.1.1.1.1
            22 September 2017 at 10:13 pm

            Between her and Boag, they’ve got that sewn up eh. 😉

            The Joker’s Mum is what I think of Jupig: her hubby’s company is Ruakaka Kauri now, ‘cept he divested himself on July 1 of directorships: #Ismellbullshit and quite a lot of it. The endless circle jerk that is this corrupt govt is obscene and needs to be stopped eh.

            Note they can hound a woman over an old debt but can’t find who owns the land?

            • WILD KATIPO 14.1.1.1.1.1
              22 September 2017 at 10:24 pm

              L0L! Nice 🙂

            • Incognito 14.1.1.1.1.2
              22 September 2017 at 10:29 pm

              Maybe it is owned by an invisible blind trust registered in Panama with a lawyer in Auckland CBD with links to Russia and China? Maybe “they” are not looking very hard … I’m tempted but being here on TS is much more enjoyable and much better for the soul!

  15. eco maori 15
    22 September 2017 at 8:58 pm

    There’s a lot of question’s to be answered on that pipe .
    And someone should have the task of checking all OUR strategic assets for any weak points and have plans drawn up to deal with the worst scenario ASAP

    • Ian 15.1
      22 September 2017 at 9:14 pm

      Govt employs a heap of policy analysts and over the last few years,MBIE guys would have looked at the risks attached to this pipeline and produced contingency plans ,which we have seen jump into action over the last few days. Thats how good government works. Waiting for a working group to report to a ministerial committtee after the full moon is not how things should happen.

      • Graeme 15.1.1
        22 September 2017 at 10:39 pm

        One of the MBIE reports recommended that Aucklanders “fill up less” so not much of an in-depth analysis there.

        The last week looked more like a pack of chooks running around after their heads had been chopped off, franticly looking for a solution. If there had been appropriate disaster management there would have been jet fuel restrictions last Friday, or even Thursday evening, not Monday.

    • eco maori 15.2
      22 September 2017 at 9:19 pm

      Can smell the rose’s ay BOYS.
      nar All the national candidates are on the bog

  16. David Mac 16
    22 September 2017 at 9:09 pm

    The costs of running a second pipeline would be staggering. Not so much the pipe, getting the go ahead from landowners. Prohibitive, not just for NZ refining, but even for our purse.

    Winston’s railway and a fleet of rolling stock tankers are looking like a bargain.

    • eco maori 16.1
      22 September 2017 at 9:24 pm

      As long as we have good contingency plan’s that don’t over complicate the remedy if any assets fail

  17. David Mac 17
    22 September 2017 at 9:29 pm

    Northland has a major strategic advantage in our Shaky Isles. There’s next to no seismic activity up the top. The holding tanks at Marsden Point are unlikely to be ruptured by earthquake activity. Pipelines, railways and roads unaffected.

    10 years of shallow NZ earthquakes plotted on a map….

    http://all-geo.org/highlyallochthonous/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/NZ_Shallow_seismicity.jpg

  18. David Mac 18
    22 September 2017 at 9:56 pm

    Investigation?

    “Yeah g’day Rick, who were those jokers with diggers in your bottom paddock a few years ago? Got a number?”

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