Pipeline ruptures, leaks oil in Ecuador's Amazon

QUITO, Ecuador -- One of Ecuador's two oil pipelines ruptured Wednesday and spilled an unknown amount of crude in the Amazon jungle before the duct's operator shut it down for repairs.

The pipeline was "immediately and temporarily" closed, and a cleanup team sent to contain the slick with a system of dikes and pools, according to private operator Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados.

The cause and size of the spill were not known, company spokesman Pedro Lopez said.

Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados did not set a timeline for resuming operations, but Lopez said oil shipments will not be hurt because companies have stockpiled reserves at coastal ports.

"Exports for the rest of the month of February are assured," Lopez said.

Companies that use the pipeline include China's Andes Petroleum, Spain's Repsol-YPF, Brazilian state oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA and Paris-based Perenco SA.

The duct, buried 6 feet (2 meters) underground, ruptured early Wednesday near the village of Santa Rosa, east of the capital, Quito. It is capable of transporting 450,000 barrels of heavy crude a day.

Peruvian state oil company Petroecuador also sent specialists to assist in the cleanup, Lopez said.