About

Oleoducto de los Llanos Orientales (ODL) and Oleoducto Bicentenario de Colombia (BIC) are managed and operate under a single administration led by ODL, which requires a very efficient legal team that is able to support the legal affairs of two companies at the same time. Anabella Vegas, director of legal and corporate affairs, leads the legal team with the support of six lawyers including chief legal officer, Nicholas Cure. The legal team has been adapting to the economic environment of the oil and gas industry and due to the 2015 to 2016 oil crisis, and it has evolved from a project focused team to a team supporting the transformation of processes and contracts in order to obtain economic efficiencies for the companies. Additionally, the team has been proactive in attending important arbitration proceedings regarding the compliance of oil transportation contracts. In June 2017, Canacol Energy Colombia, a shareholder and client, filed a claim before the Arbitration Centre of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce against BIC, regarding the effects and consequences of the occurrence of acts of God or force majeure that prevented the company from complying with its obligations under the oil transportation agreement. Recently the ruling was obtained in favour of BIC with the help of its legal team. This was the first time in Colombian history that oil pipeline transportation agreements were discussed in court, and defined important case law for the oil pipeline industry. Vegas highlights that the team has ‘an inclusive work environment with high value for quality and reliability. The team is oriented in developing high-quality legal work for different stakeholders of the companies that is business-oriented for the ongoing operations of the companies’.