Contact: PHMSAPublicAffairs@dot.gov   

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today issued a safety advisory to hazardous liquid pipeline operators outlining the integrity risks associated with using Type-A sleeves as a method of repair. Repair sleeves consist of two pieces of steel welded together around a pipeline at the site of dents, scrapes, or other defects to provide structural reinforcement and help maintain and extend the line’s serviceability. PHMSA’s incident data includes a number of pipeline failures related to faulty Type-A sleeves, including a January 2025 jet fuel leak in Upper Makefield Township, Pennsylvania. 

The advisory bulletin issued today does not restrict the use of Type-A sleeves as a pipeline repair method. PHMSA is advising operators that improperly installed or managed Type-A sleeves are at increased risk of possible corrosion and other integrity issues that could result from long-term use. In the advisory, operators are also reminded that Federal pipeline safety regulations obligate them to conduct proper recordkeeping, internal inspection, integrity assessment, leak detection and monitoring, and installation procedures when using Type-A sleeves. 

PHMSA’s advisory bulletin can be accessed in the Federal Register. Advisory bulletins are guidance documents and do not impose new regulatory obligations.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s mission is to protect people and the environment by advancing the safe transportation of energy and other hazardous materials that are essential to our daily lives.  Please visit https://www.phmsa.dot.gov for more information.

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