BP Exploration Alaska Inc. has begun an orderly and phased shutdown of the Prudhoe Bay oil field following the discovery of unexpectedly severe corrosion and a small spill from a Prudhoe Bay oil transit line. Shutting down the field will take days to complete. Over time, these actions will reduce Alaska North Slope oil production by an estimated 400,000bpd. The decision follows the receipt on 4 August of data from a smart pig run completed in late July. Analysis of the data revealed 16 anomalies in 12 locations in an oil transit line on the eastern side of the oil field. In response to the inspection data, BP conducted follow up inspections of anomalies where corrosion-related wall thinning appeared to exceed BP criteria for continued operation. It was during these follow up inspections that BP personnel discovered a leak and small spill estimated at 4 to 5 barrels. The spill has been contained and the clean up effort is underway. The pipeline was shutdown at 6:30am 6 August morning. BP has notified state and federal officials of the decision and will work closely with the US Department of Transportation and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, among others. BP is identifying and mobilizing additional resources from across Alaska and North America in order to speed inspection of remaining Prudhoe Bay oil transit lines. BP operates 22mi of oil transit pipeline at Prudhoe Bay. Smart pigging inspection has been completed over about 40% of that length.