BP's 400-mile Olympic Pipeline system remains shut after leak near Everett, Washington

By Nicole Jao

(Reuters) -BP said its Olympic Pipeline remained shut on Thursday following a leak earlier this month near Everett, Washington.

"Response crews have begun 24-hour excavation operations and are proceeding with excavation of the pipelines to allow for visual inspection," BP said in an emailed statement.

The company did not provide a timeline for restarting the pipeline and said the amount of product released and recovered was still being assessed.

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson on Wednesday declared an emergency as a result of a Olympic Pipeline shutdown, which has disrupted jet fuel supply to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The 400-mile (644 km) Olympic Pipeline system moves fuel from northern Washington to Oregon. The pipeline transports refined petroleum products including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. 

The fuel leak was first reported on November 11. The company restored one of the two pipelines east of Everett, Washington, on Monday that was shut to determine the source of some product discharge.

The restored line was shut down again shortly after, halting refined product deliveries on the system.

(Reporting by Nicole Jao; Editing by Chris Reese and Lincoln Feast)