Cenit Activates Contingency Plans Due To Series of Pipeline Attacks This Week

Cenit, an Ecopetrol Group subsidiary company, has informed that it activated the contingency plan in the pipelines of Caño Limón-Coveñas and Bicentenario to address the emergencies caused by seven attacks that have taken place since last Saturday in Arauca, Boyaca and Norte de Santander.

In the last weeks there were three attacks against the Caño Limón – Coveñas system in the villages of Las Acacias, Guamalito and La Ceiba, in the municipality of Arauquita.

• • Cenit has suffered 7 attacks in the past week against the Caño Limón-Coveñas & Bicentenario pipelines in Arauca, Norte de Santander, & Boyacá.
  • Colombia’s petroleum infrastructure has already suffered 25 attacks in 2020
  • The Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic has made it more difficult to access the affected areas.

In addition, on Saturday afternoon there were disturbances in the village of El Consuelo, municipality of Saravena, which are being addressed by “specialized personnel,” according to Cenit.

The attacks also affected the operations of the Bicentenario pipeline, at the Altos Del Paraiso site in the village of Palo de Agua, municipality of Fortul, for a total of five registered attacks against the Arauca oil infrastructure.

Other attacks were confirmed at the village of Puerto Nuevo, municipality of Cubará in Boyaca, and in the village of San Carlos, municipality of El Tarra in Norte de Santander.

There was a total of six attacks perpetrated against the Caño Limón-Coveñas system and one against the Bicentenario pipeline.

Hector Manosalva Rojas, CEO of Cenit, stated that “we emphatically reject these attacks against the country’s pipelines, which are creating negative social, economic and environmental impacts, even more so during the crisis the country is facing due to COVID-19, which makes it more difficult to perform repairs with our technical personnel on site. This stage we are living in

Colombia should encourage us to prioritize people’s lives and integrity, as well as care for the environment.”

Cenit sent technical and operations personnel to the attacked locations to perform inspection activities, guaranteeing the necessary control measures were in place to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Moreover, National Army troops traveled to the sites under siege to provide security and guarantee the personnel’s safe arrival.

As soon as the facts were known, the company advised the municipal risk and disaster management councils and the Autonomous Regional Corporation of Orinoquía, where the corresponding contingency plans were activated.

Furthermore, as part of the contingency plan, the Community Action Councils were contacted to advise the community about the facts and to enable technical personnel’s access to address the issues.

In a statement, Cenit rejected “these illegal actions that jeopardize the integrity of the population, cause serious consequences on the environment, and affect the activities of the community and the oil industry.” The company asked the surrounding community to stay in quarantine and avoid visiting the areas where the attacks were perpetrated.