Colombia’s Cano Limon-Covenas pipeline shut down after an attack by National Liberation Army (ELN) guerillas, said a Colombian army official.
The explosion caused a substantial spill, affecting water resources and precipitating the closure. However, Ecopetrol, Colombia’s state-run oil company, reported no injuries — and the regional army commander said that repair work had begun under military guard.
The 780-kilometer (485-mile) pipeline — Colombia’s second largest, which carries 80,000 barrels-per-day of crude from the Cano Limon fields to the Caribbean port of Covenas — is operated by US oil producer Occidental Petroleum and owned by Ecopetrol.
The blast occurred near the town of Saravena, close to the border with Venezuela. Saravena is considered a stronghold for the ELN, whose “fight centers against the exploitation of Colombia’s natural resources by foreign companies.”
Source: The Telegraph. Read More »