Oil Leak at PDVSA’s Jose Terminal

An oil leak has sprung from a pipeline connecting the main oil-exporting complex with a tanker loading facility at Venezuela’s Port of Jose Terminal, the country’s oil and natural gas company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) confirmed.

The spill was caused by a rupture in the line connecting the crude terminal to a single buoy mooring (SBM) at Petro San Felix, one of the piers at the Jose port, the company said.

The company added that it has triggered a contingency plan on Tuesday so as to respond to the crude leak incident and clean the spill. The size of the spill has not been disclosed, however.

A temporary staple was installed in the pipeline to stop the leak, and the terminal operations have not been affected, according to PDVSA.

There were no vessels docking at the SBM at the time of the incident, Reuters reported.

As disclosed, production and shipment of crude from the Hugo Chavez Orinoco Belt were not compromised and resume normal activity.

The terminal forms part of the oil complex, Petrochemical and Industrial General Jose Antonio Anzoategui, located just outside the city of Barcelona in the east of the country.

World Maritime News Staff