What Ecuador’s oil pipeline shutdown means for global supply
Ecuador has stopped exporting oil after shutting down its two biggest pipelines due to damage caused by heavy rain in the Amazon region.
The pipelines were closed after riverbanks eroded and threatened the safety of the routes.
The head of the state oil company Petroecuador, Leonard Bruns, said the pipelines were damaged and oil exports are now on hold.
He explained that experts are trying to find a safer route to restart oil transport.
“Exports are suspended until a new solution is found with the alternative route we are working on for SOTE,” he said.
The two pipelines normally carry oil from the Amazon region in the northeast of Ecuador to the coast, where it is shipped overseas. Together, they can move up to 810,000 barrels of oil each day.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
