“Flights Carrying Hope: How Sea-Tac Is Managing a Silent Fuel Shortage”

On November 11, a leak was discovered in the Olympic Pipeline near Everett, prompting a shutdown of the 400-mile conduit that delivers jet fuel among other refined products to Sea-Tac. The pipeline, managed by BP, has not yet offered a firm date when full operations may resume.

Faced with that uncertainty, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared an emergency. His proclamation temporarily lifts restrictions on commercial vehicle driving hours, allowing more trucks to transport jet fuel by road to the airport. Meanwhile, airport officials have told inbound airlines to fuel up before arriving — a strategy known as “ferrying” — so that aircraft carry more fuel when they land at Sea-Tac.

Airlines, notably Alaska Airlines, have rolled out contingency plans. They say they don’t expect major disruption yet, but are using a combination of tactics: “tankering” fuel on inbound flights, planning technical stopovers en route, and increasing trucking operations. According to Alaska, these “tech stops” allow planes to conserve onboard fuel and top up along their route, sometimes without passengers disembarking.

On the ground, BP’s response teams are working around the clock. They have begun 24-hour excavations to inspect and locate the exact source of the leak. But so far, despite significant effort, BP has not identified the root cause. The pipeline remains closed, and both lines in the affected area are still offline.

That said, some limited restoration was attempted: one of the twin lines was brought back into service east of Everett. But it was shut down again shortly after due to irregularities. For now, BP has offered no definitive timeline for when operations will return to normal.

On its side, the state government and the Port of Seattle are coordinating with federal and local agencies — including environmental regulators — to manage both the repair and the interim fuel logistics. As Governor Ferguson put it, the emergency declaration aims to “limit disruptions to travelers” while balancing safety concerns.

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Sources Associated Press / Governor’s Office KIRO 7 News Alaska Airlines news release