Environment Oil pipeline in Ecuador damaged - authorities suspect "sabotage"
Another oil pipeline has been damaged in the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador in the second incident of its kind in two weeks. The Ministry of Energy announced on Saturday that there had been a "leak of oil derivatives" in the eastern province of Napo.
23.03.2025, 06:59
SDA
The ministry attributed the leak to suspected "sabotage". No details were initially provided on the extent of the damage. Several rivers had already been polluted and the drinking water supply affected in a similar incident involving an oil pipeline.
In the case of the incident now reported, it was initially unclear whether the Coca River - where the country's most important hydroelectric power plant is located - was also affected. Many surrounding communities, including settlements of indigenous tribes, also draw their water supplies from the river. According to the Ministry of Energy, it wants to make a decision on whether the Coca Codo Sinclair hydropower plant should be shut down as a precautionary measure.
Tens of thousands of barrels of oil spilled on March 13
In an earlier oil spill on March 13, an important pipeline was damaged and tens of thousands of barrels of oil leaked out. The oil has since spread to at least five rivers, including the Esmeraldas River, which flows into the Pacific. The drinking water supply for hundreds of thousands of people has also been affected. On Tuesday, the country's state oil company declared a state of emergency as a result.
The authorities also described this oil spill as an "act of sabotage". However, it is generally assumed that the incident was probably caused by a landslide.
Repeatedly devastating oil incidents
Devastating environmental damage caused by oil occurs time and again in South America. In 2022, almost 6,300 barrels (more than one million liters) of crude oil leaked into a nature reserve due to a damaged oil pipeline in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest. In the same year, the government in neighboring Peru had to declare an environmental emergency after almost 12,000 barrels of oil leaked off the coast during the unloading of an oil tanker.
In May 2020, a pipeline in the Amazon region was damaged by a mudslide, resulting in 15,000 barrels of oil leaking into three tributaries of the Amazon.
