Most pipeline replacements undertaken by Subsea7 that have not lasted their intended design life due to damage scenarios or corrosion degradation mechanisms are Water Injection pipelines. More often than not the reason for engineering a replacement has been ‘channelling corrosion’ at the bottom of a carbon steel pipeline. This paper shows the reader from several case histories how this mechanism manifests from inadequate chemical housekeeping the precursors necessary for the initiation of the degradation mechanism termed ‘microbial induced erosion-corrosion’ the mechanism itself why it can result in sudden unknown failure interpreting and identification of ‘channelling’ from different intelligent pigging technologies and ways to provide physical evidence to help determine if a Water Injection pipeline has succumbed to ‘channelling’ without employing an intelligent inspection. Once this mechanism does manifest itself within a pipeline it may not be stopped only slowed and the pipeline is doomed to either constant rupture/repair or enforced retirement as a consequence of corrosion rates proceeding in the order of approximately 1.0 – 2.5 mm/yr.