10 thousand barrels of oil were lost due to the rupturing of the SOTE

Trans-Ecuadorian System Oil Pipeline (SOTE)

Petroecuador technicians working in the repair of the Trans-Ecuadorian System Oil Pipeline (SOTE) that broke around 09:00 on Friday in the sector of ‘El Reventador’, located in the province of Sucumbíos, after a landslide of large proportions that contaminated the vegetation in the area, some slopes, and advanced to the Coca River.

Marco Calvopina, General Manager of Petroecuador, estimated that some 10,000 barrels of oil were spilled as a result of the rupturing. The exact amount will be known upon completion of the repair work.

The system, which moves parallel to the road from Quito to Lago Agrio, was outdoors in that sector, but yesterday, after a  the technical recommendation, the technicians decided to bury it to prevent future damages, above all because there is the risk of new landslides, said Jose Sánchez, Head of The Transportation Management. 135 meters of pipe will be changed.

On Friday, Petroecuador said in a press release, that “the emergency will not affect crude exports or refineries supply”.