Ecuador’s OCP pipeline ruptured by rockslide

A 450,000 b/d oil pipeline in the Piedra Fina zone of Ecuador's Napo province ruptured today, spilling an undisclosed volume of crude.

The rupture of the privately owned OCP pipeline in the northeast of the country was caused by a rockslide triggered by heavy rains. The pipeline operator said the line has been shutdown but oil exports have not been suspended.

The spill is being contained and has not yet reached any water source, OCP said.

The OCP pipeline, the largest crude pipeline in Ecuador, is operated by a consortium of private and foreign producers. The pipeline pumped an average of 152,260 b/d in 2021 according to data from state-owned PetroEcuador.

The OCP shut down for 23 days in December when riverbed erosion on the Quijos and Piedra Fina rivers in the Amazonian region of the country threatened to damage the pipeline. The 360,000 b/d SOTE pipeline, the second main pipeline in Ecuador, was also shut down at that time.

The pipeline closures prompted Ecuador to declare force majeure on its medium and heavy sour exports, which restarted on 6 January.

By Alberto Araujo