Adds products pipeline outage, other details, starting in first paragraph.
Ecuador's two crude export pipelines and a products line were knocked out of service by mudslides yesterday.
The 450,000 b/d OCP heavy crude pipeline ruptured following the overflow of the Coca river, causing the suspension of operations at 6:30pm ET yesterday. The 485km (301mi) pipeline, controlled by foreign oil companies, runs from the Amazon oil district to the Pacific coast port of Balao in Esmeraldas.
In a separate incident at 8:15pm ET yesterday, a mudslide reduced pressure on state-owned PetroEcuador's 360,000 b/d Sote crude pipeline, prompting the company to suspend operations. The oil ministry later confirmed that the crude line, along with the Shushufindi-Quito refined products pipeline, had ruptured, and would take two to three weeks to repair through the construction of bypasses.
The 503km Sote pipeline also runs from the Amazon district to Esmeraldas.
The ministry said crude exports would continue as normal using stored volumes at the Balao terminal. It added that there is sufficient stock to meet the need for motor fuels and LPG in light of reduced demand caused by anti-virus restrictions.
The pipeline outages come amid a devastating local blow from the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in the Pacific coast city of Guayaquil. The former Opec country has almost 4,000 declared cases and more than 200 deaths.
