The heavy crude oil (OCP) pipeline resumed pumping this Thursday, March 2, at 10:39 p.m. This was reported by the private company OCP, which is in charge of its management.
Following the announcement, the country’s crude oil transportation system is back to normal. Previously, on Tuesday, February 28 and Thursday, March 2, Petroecuador announced that both the Transecuadorian Oil Pipeline System (SOTE) and the Shushufindi Quito polyduct also resumed operations on those dates.
In its statement, OCP Ecuador indicated that during its resumption of pumping operations, it has taken all necessary actions to continue providing crude oil transportation service, vital to the country’s economic development, with environmental protection as a priority. He reported that the necessary preventive measures were taken to avoid possible damage to the environment.
The three pipelines stopped pumping on February 22 after the foundations that carry the Marker River weakened, causing the marker bridge and pipeline supports that remained in the area to collapse. The incident caused the suspension of pumping and the declaration of force majeure, which halted crude oil shipments abroad. In addition, they had to start shutting down wells in the Amazon, because there was no more storage space.
Thus, on February 26, oil production in Ecuador was halved. While on February 20, the production was in 484,489 barrels per day, of which 393,035 barrels correspond to the production of Petroecuador, and 91,545 barrels to private production, for On February 26, total production amounted to 243,678 barrels, of which 186,373 barrels they were produced by Petroecuador, and 68,404 were produced by private companies.
Since February 28, when the resumption of SOTE’s work was announced, an increase in production has been recorded. As of March 2, only Petroecuador’s production rose to 259,483 barrels. In other words, it is 66% of what it was before this latest crisis. Now it is necessary to gradually add the production of private companies, which is mostly transported by OCP.
Source: Eluniverso
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