Petroecuador has declared a 60-day emergency on the SOTE pipeline after landslides tied to El Reventador volcanic activity and heavy rains threatened the route in Napo province. The decree allows direct contracting to speed slope stabilization, drainage improvements, pipeline reinforcement and installation of community early-warning systems near the Coca–Loco confluence. Officials say the goal is to avert a rupture and keep about 330,000 b/d flowing; each day offline could cost more than $20 million. Experts warn regressive erosion since 2020 means the route must be stabilized or redesigned to avoid future shutdowns.
Petroecuador Declares 60-Day Emergency on SOTE Pipeline After Volcanic Landslides Threaten Oil Flow
Petroecuador has declared a 60-day emergency on the SOTE pipeline after landslides tied to El Reventador volcanic activity and heavy rains threatened the route in Napo province. The decree allows direct contracting to speed slope stabilization, drainage improvements, pipeline reinforcement and installation of community early-warning systems near the Coca–Loco confluence. Officials say the goal is to avert a rupture and keep about 330,000 b/d flowing; each day offline could cost more than $20 million. Experts warn regressive erosion since 2020 means the route must be stabilized or redesigned to avoid future shutdowns.
20:50, 03.11.2025Environment
Petroecuador declares emergency on the SOTE mainline after landslides linked to El Reventador
Nov. 3 (UPI) — State oil company Petroecuador has declared a 60-day emergency for the Trans-Ecuadorian Pipeline System (SOTE), its primary crude transport artery, after landslides triggered by activity at the El Reventador volcano and heavy rains endangered the pipeline route in Napo province, the newspaper Primicias reported.
Why the emergency was declared
In a resolution signed by general manager Leonard Bruns, Petroecuador classified the event as "unforeseeable" under the Public Procurement Law, citing the combined effects of volcanic tremors, intense rainfall and already unstable terrain. The emergency designation allows the company to accelerate mitigation works and award direct contracts for specialized services without the usual bidding timelines.
Scope of the threat
The SOTE carries more than 60% of Ecuador's oil from Amazon production fields to the Pacific port of Esmeraldas and runs through one of the country's most geologically vulnerable corridors. The pipeline corridor is also threatened by regressive erosion of the Coca River — an ongoing problem since 2020 that has already destroyed roads, bridges and pipeline sections.
"We are acting with the utmost urgency to protect the infrastructure and prevent a major environmental impact," Petroecuador said, stressing the measure is preventive rather than reactive.
Planned mitigation and immediate actions
Petroecuador said planned measures under the emergency include slope stabilization, improved drainage, reinforcement of pipeline supports, continuous monitoring of the erosion front, and installation of an early-warning system for nearby communities. Technicians are working on "Variant No. 10," a two-kilometer detour around the vulnerable confluence of the Coca and Loco rivers, a zone officials consider among Ecuador's most at-risk geological areas.
Economic and operational impact
The company aims to prevent a pipeline rupture and maintain the transport of roughly 330,000 barrels per day — a central source of Ecuador's export revenue and foreign currency. Petroecuador warned that each day of suspension could cost more than $20 million, citing official estimates based on the average price of Oriente crude. A July stoppage at the Coca–Loco confluence forced nearly a month-long shutdown of both the SOTE and the OCP (the country's second major pipeline), producing losses exceeding $100 million and reducing national output.
In 2025 Ecuador's oil production has ranged between about 400,000 and 450,000 barrels per day following the July shutdowns, down from roughly 467,000 b/d before those incidents. The government has set a target of finishing the year near 500,000 b/d if mitigation efforts and new investments succeed. During the first half of the year, oil accounted for 24.2% of Ecuador's exports, down from 31.2% a year earlier.
Outlook
Experts warn that unless the ground is stabilized and the pipeline route redesigned in the most vulnerable sections, the risk of further disruptions and environmental damage will remain. The emergency declaration buys time for urgent works, but longer-term engineering and route adjustments will likely be needed to secure Ecuador's main crude export artery.