A private oil pipeline in Ecuador suffers a rupture in the Amazon

MADRID, Jan. 29 (Royals Blue) –

The private oil company Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados ​​(OCP) of Ecuador has reported this Friday the rupture of one of its pipelines in the province of Napo, in the Amazon, which has caused hundreds of liters of oil to be expelled abroad and contaminate local vegetation.

“Due to the weakening of the land in the Piedra Fina area, a rockfall caused by heavy rains in the area caused the pipe of the OCP Heavy Crude Oil Pipeline to break,” the company explained in a statement.

Once the incident was confirmed, OCP has activated an emergency protocol and has begun containment actions “immediately” “to avoid greater environmental damage.” Also, it has begun to assess the magnitude of the damage to the infrastructure, and the corresponding repairs have begun.

Likewise, the company has assured that the tube is not directly exposed to any river, although they are controlling the flow of oil to avoid “any risk” in case it reaches water sources.

Some environmental associations have denounced that this environmental disaster has taken place precisely on the banks of the Coca River, and they also recall that it is not the first time that an oil pipeline has ruptured in the area.

Specifically, the Biodiversity and Human Resources Commission has demanded that the authorities “report on the immediate application of the contingency plan, the damage assessment and the execution of measures” to remedy the spill, as published in its profile. Twitter official.

Piedra Fina is located on the border of the Amazonian provinces of Napo (east) and Sucumbíos (east), an area that has been hit by the natural phenomenon of regressive erosion of the Coca River.

The company has not yet been able to determine how many barrels of crude have been spilled.