Ecuador Shuts Down Major Oil Pipelines Following Bridge Collapse

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Written by Amir Richani for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Petroecuador and Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados (OCP) Ecuador shut down some of the nation's most important oil pipelines after a bridge collapsed.

On Wednesday, Petroecuador issued a statement saying it had shut down the Sistema de Oleoducto Transecuadoriano (SOTE), and a pipeline that runs from the Shushufindi Refinery in the northeast of the country to Quito, following the collapse of a bridge near Petroecuador's facility near the Marker River, at the northern province of Napo.

Later on Wednesday, Petroecuador said it had mobilized a team to the area to evacuate crude and fuels from the pipelines. Additionally, the company said it was guarding the pipeline in case it ruptured.

Extreme weather conditions and natural disasters have disrupted the oil flow through the SOTE and other pipelines in recent years. Petroecuador said it has been working to avoid such incidents and prevent oil spills.

The SOTE is Ecuador's main oil pipeline, it has a capacity of 360,000 barrels per day (BBL/d) and a length of almost 500 kilometers (310 miles), and it transports crude from the northeastern oil fields to the Pacific coast. It has six pump stations and four pressure-reducing stations.

The 10,000-BBL/d Shushufindi-to-Quito pipeline transports products and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

OCP, a private company that transports oil through the OCP pipeline, also said it shut down its midstream infrastructure due to the collapse of the bridge.

The OCP pipeline transports oil from the northeastern oil fields to the OCP's maritime terminal on the Pacific coast near Esmeraldas. The 485-kilometer pipeline has a 450,000 BBL/d capacity, as well as four pumping stations and two pressure-reducing stations. The private energy company has a concession to operate the pipeline until this year.

It was unclear if any major damage to the pipelines had occurred. Ecuador reported stable oil production of 482,700 BBL/d for February 22, the day of the pipeline closures. National oil production throughout February has been near that volume with small fluctuations. Petroecuador represents about 80% of the nation's total oil output.

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