Alaska pipeline shut down after leak discovered

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The company that runs the Trans Alaska Pipeline has shut down oil production after a leak was discovered at a North Slope pump station.

Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. said the leak was discovered Saturday and appeared to be from a section of piping encased in concrete next to Pump Station 1 — the first pump station on the 800-mile pipeline.

The company says it's too early to tell how much oil has spilled, but it appears to have been contained. The oil was leaking into the station's booster pump building.

Crews are on site and a crisis management team is working in Anchorage. Alyeska says immediate goals were to safely stop the leak, initiate cleanup efforts, and determine necessary repairs.