MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay: Ancap oil pipeline leak hits key road

The pipeline between Punta del Este and Ancap's refinery was not pumping oil at the time of the incident

Uruguay's State-run oil company Ancap reported Tuesday a leak in an oil pipeline around the Biarritz (kilometer 71) on Costa de Oro in the department (province) of Canelones. The spill reached the highway causing delays in vehicle circulation for a while as stains of oil and sand were removed.

Days ago Ancap announced that it would inspect the 1978-built pipeline, which had last been done in 2016. Foreign teams were summoned for the task regarding the 180-kilometer structure linking Ancap's La Teja refinery with the most exclusive beach resort of Punta del Este.

According to local media, the pipeline suffered a pipe rupture in the Solís stream on November 30. Previously, in October, there was an oil leak in the Marconi neighborhood when the pipeline was punctured by a neighbor trying to connect to the sewage system. In June another leak was recorded above the Costa Azul beach resort, at kilometer 56.

Canelones' Director of Environmental Management Leonardo Herou said that the loss lasted approximately one hour. “There are the rainwater drains and it is very close to the Coronilla stream,” he explained. He said that the area is a protected area, so from the Municipality they are “articulating so that the response is the best.” Herou will become Deputy Environment Minister after March 1 when President-elect Yamandú Orsi takes over.

Ancap authorities also mentioned that the pipeline “was not pumping oil” at the time of the incident and that the leak consisted only of remnants of the product. The company also explained that the leak was due to a device installed to inspect the pipeline, which was not faulty. “The same Ancap team that was working on the maneuver contained the spill immediately,” they said. The incident “occurred through a device installed for inspection maneuvers and is not related to punctures or failures in the pipeline.” Inspection tasks were to continue for several days, the company also announced in a statement.