Ecuador pipeline burst stops flow of crude
by AFP Staff Writers
Quito (AFP) June 17, 2025

Ecuador's state energy company said it stopped pumping oil through the country's main pipeline Monday due to a rupture in a section running through the Amazon.

"The valves have been closed and oil pumping has been suspended," Petroecuador said in a statement.

The company blamed the incident on a landslide and it was not immediately clear if a spill occurred.

In a statement issued Monday night, the company said it doesn't immediately foresee shutting down oil wells.

The "Trans-Ecuadorian" pipeline has a capacity to pump 360,000 barrels a day.

In March, more than 25,000 barrels spilled in the northwestern coastal province of Esmeraldas.

Oil is one of Ecuador's primary exports. Last year, the country sold $8.6 billion worth of crude oil.

In 2024, Ecuador produced an average of 475,000 barrels a day, of which more than 70 percent was exported.

Almost half of the exports go to North America.

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