(Reuters, Marianna Parraga, 4.Oct.2018) — Venezuela’s September crude sales to the United States rose to their highest in over a year, boosted by purchases by Citgo Petroleum, the U.S. refining arm of Venezuela’s state-run PDVSA, and Valero Energy, according to Refinitiv Eikon trade flows data.
A collision in August at a dock of Venezuela’s main oil port of Jose has limited exports in large vessels to Asia, spurring loading of more medium-size tankers including those typically covering routes to the United States.
Venezuela’s overall crude exports fell 14 percent in September to 1.105 million bpd due to declining oil output and dock woes at Jose terminal. The OPEC-member country’s crude production fell for third time in a row to 1.448 million bpd in August, according to official figures.
The United States imported 601,505 barrels per day (bpd) of Venezuelan crude last month, a 28-percent increase versus August and the highest monthly average since August 2017, according to the Refinitiv Eikon data.
Valero and Citgo bought over 250,000 bpd each of Venezuelan crude last month compared with an average of 170,000 bpd earlier this year, according to the data.
A total of 38 cargoes were purchased by U.S. customers from PDVSA and its joint ventures in September. At least three of those shipments were co-loaded in different Venezuelan ports to avoid problems at Jose, where repairs are expected to take at least one more month to be completed.
PDVSA’s exports last month included more light and medium crudes, generally produced at very low levels in Venezuela and leaving less of these grades for PDVSA’s domestic refineries to produce fuels.
In September, PDVSA sold Citgo and Valero some 84,000 bpd of Santa Barbara, Mesa and Leona crudes, which are typically processed at Venezuelan refineries.
PDVSA regularly imports gasoline, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas and refining feedstock to offset low production at its refineries.
(Reporting by Marianna Parraga; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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