BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia’s state-run oil company Ecopetrol said on Wednesday its operations have been affected by attacks on the Cano Limon-Covenas and Bicentenario pipelines and a nationwide truckers’ strike which has snarled transport.
Production of hydrocarbons could be impacted in the coming days and may affect fuel supplies, the company added in a statement.
Protests spearheaded by truck drivers, which began on Monday in opposition to the government’s plans to hike diesel prices, have threatened to grind Colombia to a halt, with snaking traffic jams on motorways throughout the country.
“The lacking availability of the aforementioned pipelines, due to the attacks, added to difficulty in moving tankers with hydrocarbons and liquefied petroleum gas, may impact crude oil and gas production in the coming days, as well as supplies for the Barrancabermeja and Cartagena refineries and fuels in different parts of the country,” the statement said.
The situation is also worsened by social conflict at the company’s Gibraltar gas field, it added.
(Reporting by Oliver Griffin; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Kylie Madry)
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