Colombia’s Cano Limon-Covenas Pipeline Shut After Explosives Attack

An explosives attack in Colombia’s Arauquita region forced the suspension of crude oil pumping through the 210,000 bpd Cano Limon-Covenas pipeline, operator Cenit said, as emergency crews worked to contain a spill.

(Reuters) — An explosives attack in northern Colombia has forced the suspension of crude oil pumping through the Cano Limon-Covenas pipeline, operator Cenit, a subsidiary of state-run oil producer Ecopetrol, said on July 30.

The attack occurred in a rural area in the Arauquita municipality and left no injured or dead, but caused Cenit to activate emergency protocols to contain the oil spill, the firm said.

Cenit did not attribute the attack to any organization, but the nation's armed forces say that the National Liberation Army (ELN), a guerrilla group, as well as dissidents who splintered off from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), are present in the area.

The Cano Limon-Covenas pipeline, able to pump up to 210,000 barrels of crude a day over 773 kilometers, is a frequent target of attacks, according to Cenit.