Chinese energy firm Sinopec has seen production slashed by a third in Gabon after one of its subsidiaries sprung a leak at a pipeline last week.
There is said to be limited damage to the pipeline which links the Obangue oilfield to the Rabi oil terminal in the West African country.
However, about 10,000 barrels of oil per day have been lost from production at the pipeline operated by Sinopec offshoot, Addax Petroleum, according to a Reuters report citing Gabonese Oil Minister, Alexandre Barro Chambrier.
“The incident made the Chinese company lose about a third of its daily production. There is some damage but the damage is limited,” the news wire quotes Chambrier as saying.
“It’s not going to have a significant impact on supplies. It’s less than a cargo a month,” an African oil trader told Reuters.
Gabon produces around 220,000-240,000 barrels of daily crude oil output, down from a peak of around 370,000 bpd in 1997, Reuters reported.
