QUITO (Reuters) – The rupture of Ecuador’s SOTE crude pipeline earlier this month spilled over 25,000 barrels of oil, the country’s national disaster management agency said in a statement, affecting three rivers, wildlife and at least 5,300 people.
Petroecuador confirmed the spill magnitude in a separate statement on Tuesday and said that it collected 30,257 barrels of crude oil mixed with water, prior to a separation process.
The rupture, which was caused by a landslide and shut the pipeline for six days, forced state oil company Petroecuador to declare force majeure. The company has resumed exports of Oriente crude but has not lifted the declaration.
“EP PETROECUADOR reported that containment dikes and barriers were implemented in the Viche area and said 25,116 barrels were spilled over 80 km of affected areas,” the National Secretariat for Risk Management detailed in a report published on its website Monday night.
The spill affected three rivers, nine beaches and at least 294 hectares of agricultural land in the coastal province of Esmeraldas, according to the report.
Petroecuador said it has allocated $4 million for contingency measures while it is maintaining ground monitoring and conducting overflights in the affected areas, doing beach cleanups and delivering provisions to the affected families.
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb and Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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