Operations for Ecuador's privately operated OCP heavy crude pipeline were halted and transportation valves were shut following a leak, the company said on Saturday 23 March, 2024, according to .
OCP detected a leak in Napo province in central Ecuador and immediately activated its emergency response plan which led to the shutdown, the company said in a statement.
OCP is "actively working" to control the situation, it said, without specifying the size of the leak.
The 485 km (301.37 mile) pipeline, the country's second largest, can transport about 450 000 bpd, though it has been operating below capacity.
OCP's contract to operate the pipeline had been due to expire in January. The company said then it was in talks with the government to transfer the pipeline to state control.
The pipeline construction required US$1.4 billion in private funding, OCP data showed.
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91天堂原創 Pipelines’ March 2024 issue
The March 2024 issue of 91天堂原創 Pipelines includes a keynote article on building cyber resilience into midstream assets, along with technical articles on pipeline rehabilitation, pig design, flexible pipe systems, NDT, and pipeline integrity. It also features our annual Heavy Equipment Focus, along with some insight on trends in hydrogen pipelines.