(Wbur, 9.Sep.2020) — The economic hardship in Venezuela has been a huge burden for neighboring Colombia. Finally, a silver lining: the collapse of Venezuela’s oil industry has stopped gas smuggling into Colombia. NPR’s John Otis reports here. __________
Category: Venezuela
Venezuela energy
PdV Ad Hoc Chairman Joins Opposition Flight
(Argus, 9.Sep.2020) — The chairman of the Venezuelan opposition’s “ad hoc” board of national oil company PdV has joined a flight of exiled technocrats from the ranks of a struggling US-backed parallel administration led by Juan Guaido. Luis Pacheco, who was named in April 2019, has focused his board efforts […]
Rafael Ramirez: Venezuela Can Fix Its Own Oil Industry
(Argus, 8.Sep.2020) — Rafael Ramirez served as Venezuela’s oil minister from 2002-2013 and concurrent chief executive of state-owned PdV from 2004-2013, a tumultuous period marked by an oil strike and nationalizations under the late president Hugo Chavez. In this interview, edited for length and clarity, Ramirez, now in exile in […]
What Oil Spill In Venezuela Tells Us About Its Politics
(Javier Corrales, 7.Sep.2020) — The largest oil reserves and one of the world’s most incompetent governments have brought authoritarianism, economic collapse and environmental disaster to the country. It has been a tough summer for Venezuela. The already ailing country, in the throes of a severe lockdown, is also experiencing a […]
Iranian Shipments Of Oil To Venezuela
(Dryad Global, 7.Sep.2020) — Reporting from TankerTrackers.com indicates that three Iranian tankers have departed Iran, with a suggested routing to Venezuela, via the Suez Canal. The three vessels in question are: – FOREST (IMO: 9283760), Iranian-flagged oil and chemical tanker.– FAXON (IMO: 9283758), Iranian-flagged oil and chemical tanker.– FORTUNE (IMO: […]
PDVSA Says Nabarima No Threat To Ecosystem
(Energy Analytics Institute, 5.Sep.2020) — Venezuela’s state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) says the Nabarima floating crude storage unit located off the country’s Gulf of Paria doesn’t “constitute in any way any threat to the ecosystem of the area.” In this regard, PDVSA also said on 5 September 2020 […]
Maduro Assigns Oil Sector Workers Three Special Tasks
(Energy Analytics Institute, 3.Sep.2020) — Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro announced three areas of focus for petroleum sector workers as well as others working directly within the state oil giant Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). “I have ordered the AlĂ RodrĂguez Araque Presidential Commission and PDVSA workers [focus] on three tasks: the […]
Damaged Venezuelan Oil Tanker Drawing Concern
(AP, 2.Sep.2020) — The sight of a huge oil tanker that has taken on water and is leaning to one side off a remote stretch of Venezuela’s coast has triggered international calls for action. After years of neglect, the FSO Nabarima, a rusting hulk full of thick crude, is in […]
PDVSA, Eni Weigh Options To Transfer Idled Oil
(Reuters, 2.Sep.2020) — Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA and Italy’s Eni are looking at options to safely offload crude from a floating storage facility on Venezuela’s eastern coast that has remained idle for over a year due to U.S. sanctions, according to sources close to the discussions. The companies suspended […]
Venezuelan Opposition Politician Backs Elections
(Wall Street Journal, 2.Sep.2020) — A prominent Venezuelan opposition figure on Wednesday said he is supporting congressional elections in December that Juan GuaidĂł, the opposition leader backed by the U.S., has pledged to boycott. The decision by Henrique Capriles to support the elections is a major fissure in a movement […]
Citgo-6 Surpasses 1,000 Days Of Wrongful Detention
(Energy Analytics Institute, 1.Sep.2020) — More than 1,000 days have passed since Tomeu Vadell, JosĂ© Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano, Jorge Toledo, Gustavo Cardenas and JosĂ© Pereira — known as the Citgo-6 — were lured to Caracas for business meetings and then detained by masked security agents and thrown into one […]
Venezuela Faces Possibility Oil Output Drops To Zero
(Oilprice.com, 1.Sep.2020) — Venezuela once considered one of Latin America’s prosperous countries has plunged into the abyss. Years of economic mismanagement, cronyism and corruption have sparked a monumental economic collapse which saw the oil rich country become one of the poorest in South America. There are emerging signs that Venezuela […]
US’ Abrams Eyes Tighter Sanctions On Venezuela
(Reuters, 31.Aug.2020) — The Trump administration is looking to tighten oil sanctions on Venezuela in the near future, top U.S. envoy for the country told Reuters on Monday, by potentially removing exemptions that allow some oil companies to receive crude oil from the OPEC member. U.S. President Donald Trump has […]
Maduro Pardons Political Prisoners Ahead Of Vote
(Bloomberg, 31.Aug.2020) — Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro issued a surprise decree pardoning more than 100 of his opponents as a concession ahead of upcoming congressional elections. Former National Assembly Vice President Freddy Guevara and Roberto Marrero, opposition leader Juan Guaido’s chief of staff, are among more than two dozen lawmakers […]
US Targets Websites Tied To Iran-Venezuela Oil Deal
(Al-Monitor, 31.Aug.2020) — The seizure follows the US interception of fuel tankers from Iran en route to Venezuela this month amid increased US pressure on both countries. The US government announced today that it had seized three websites used by Iran to facilitate oil deals with Venezuela. The decision follows […]
Harvest Drops Suit Against Ex Venezuela Oil Czar
(AP, 26.Aug.2020) — A Houston energy firm has dropped a lawsuit against Venezuela’s former oil czar, who it had accused of orchestrating demands for a $10 million bribe to approve an asset sale in the South American country. The dismissal came in a filing in Houston federal court Wednesday by […]
Faulty Heat Exchangers Spill Venezuelan Oil
(Argus, 26.Aug.2020) — An estimated 25,000 bl of oil spilled along western Venezuela’s coastline in recent weeks came from faulty heat exchangers at state-owned PdV’s El Palito refinery, three officials at the plant told Argus. Heat exchanger systems that use seawater as coolant for crude processing units were contaminated with […]
Russia Is Winning The Battle For Venezuela’s Oil
(Oilprice.com, 24.Aug.2020) — In just over a year Venezuela, and the push to oust socialist leader President Nicolas Maduro, has gone from being one of the world’s hottest news headlines to obscurity. The popularity of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan GuaidĂł is waning. As the December 2020 election date for Venezuela’s […]
How Venezuela’s Oil Industry Collapsed: FT.com
(FT.com, 23.Aug.2020) — The country’s oil industry was once the envy of the region, but after decades of mismanagement and corruption the sector is facing ruin. The FT’s Andean correspondent Gideon Long asks what went wrong. Watch his video here. __________
Venezuela Restarts Gasoline Output At Cardon Unit
(Reuters, 23.Aug.2020) — Venezuela’s state-run oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, has restarted gasoline output at the 310,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Cardon refinery, according to five people familiar with the matter. The move will provide partial relief to widespread fuel shortages in the once-prosperous OPEC nation, whose 1.3 million- bpd refining network is […]
Maduro Thanks Iran For Help Overcoming Sanctions
(Reuters, 23.Aug.2020) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday thanked ally Iran for helping the South American country overcome U.S. sanctions on its oil industry and floated the idea of purchasing missiles from the country. Washington maintains strict sanctions against Iran’s oil industry to try to halt the country’s nuclear […]
Trump Seeks To Slap More Sanctions On Venezuela
(Oilprice.com, 19.Aug.2020) — The U.S. federal government is considering more sanctions to add to a list aimed at severing the lifeline between the Venezuelan government and oil revenues that, according to Washington, are the only thing keeping Nicolas Maduro in power. Bloomberg reports, citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation, […]
Venezuela Coast Could Take 50 Years To Recover
(Reuters, 19.Aug.2020) — A strip of Venezuela’s western coastline boasting pristine beaches and fragile ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs could take more than half a century to fully recover from the environmental impacts of a recent oil spill, a researcher said on Wednesday. The country’s opposition-controlled National Assembly last […]
US Eyes October To End Exemptions On Venezuela
(Reuters, 19.Aug.2020) — The United States is considering an October deadline for ending exemptions to Venezuelan sanctions that allow some companies and refiners to still receive the South American producer’s oil, two sources said, as Washington seeks to raise the heat on President Nicolas Maduro. U.S. President Donald Trump has […]
Trump Govt Weighs Tighter Sanctions On Venezuelan Oil
(Bloomberg, 18.Aug.2020) — The Trump administration is considering additional sanctions on Venezuela aimed at halting the remaining fuel transactions permitted with the South American nation, according to people familiar with the matter. The measures could target crude swaps with companies in Asia and Europe, said the people, who requested anonymity […]
Houston Refiner Citgo Reports 2Q:20 Results
(Citgo, 17.Aug.2020) — Citgo Petroleum Corporation reported a net loss of $5 million for the second quarter of 2020, which includes the benefit from the reversal of a previously recorded lower of cost or market (LCM) inventory adjustment discussed further below. During the same period, Citgo reported EBITDA of $203 […]
Joint Support Declaration For Change In Venezuela
(US State Department, 14.Aug.2020) — The text of the following declaration was released by several members of the Lima Group, the International Contact Group, the European Union, the United States, and others. Begin text: We, a group of concerned countries including members of the Lima Group, the International Contact Group, […]
US Seizes 4 Iranian Tankers Destined For Venezuela
(US Dept. of Justice, 14.Aug.2020) — The Justice Department today announced the successful disruption of a multimillion dollar fuel shipment by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated foreign terrorist organization, that was bound for Venezuela. These actions represent the government’s largest-ever seizure of fuel shipments from Iran. On […]
Quality Issues Add Delays To Venezuela’s Oil Exports
(Reuters, 13.Aug.2020) — Crude exports from Venezuela are facing growing delays due to excess water and other impurities in cargoes loaded at state-run PDVSA’s main terminal, according to internal company documents seen by Reuters, as U.S. sanctions worsen disruptions to the oil industry. In recent years, PDVSA has been forced […]
Venezuela’s Maduro doubling down on earnings from illicit means
HOUSTON, TEXAS (Ian Silverman and Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 13.Aug.2020, Words: 966) — Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro is doubling down on earning money through illicit means where sanctions have less of an impact while also doubling down on alliances with autocratic regimes whether its Cuba, Iran, Russia or others, […]
Venezuela Is Boosting Oil Exports As Output Plummets
(Bloomberg, 13.Aug.2020) — Exports of crude oil, the commodity that bankrolls the regime of President Nicolas Maduro, are set to reach a four-month high of at least 325,000 barrels a day in August, largely because of diesel-for-crude swaps that up until now have been exempt from U.S. sanctions. At the […]
PDVSA Takes Another Stab At Replenishing Gasoline
(Argus, 12.Aug.2020) — Venezuelan state-owned PdV plans to restart gasoline production in 10-15 days at its 940,000 b/d CRP refining complex after restarting two crude distillation units yesterday, according to PdV officials and an internal operations report seen by Argus. The CRP is currently processing up to 135,000 b/d of […]
Oil Spill In Venezuela Stains Caribbean Beaches
(AP, 12.Aug.2020) — An oil spill in Venezuela has coated a stretch of the crisis-wracked nation’s Caribbean coastline, treasured for its white sand beaches, clusters of small islands and wildlife. Fisherman and locals living around Morrocoy National Park began reporting oil washing ashore last week and it has coated roughly […]
How Venezuela Lost Three Oil Supertankers
(Reuters, 11.Aug.2020) — A shipping joint venture between Venezuela and China has fallen apart in the wake of U.S. sanctions, resulting in the South American nation losing three supertankers at a time when foreign shippers are reluctant to carry its oil, court documents show. PetroChina Co Ltd, which had been […]
Venezuela Oil Spill Reaches Morrocoy Beaches
(Energy Analytics Institute, 11.Aug.2020) — An oil spill said to have occurred at El Palito refinery, owned and operated by Venezuela’s state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), has reportedly reached the once pristine beaches of Morrocoy. PDVSA has yet to release a statement regarding the incident. RELATED STORY: El […]
PDVSA Changes Deals To Add Shipping Amid Sanctions
(Reuters, 7.Aug.2020) — Venezuelan state-run oil firm PDVSA has begun offering to ship its own oil, figuring in the costs in crude supply deals to help customers who have struggled to hire vessels to carry the country’s oil due to U.S. sanctions, according to company documents seen by Reuters. The […]
US Charges Ex-Citgo Exec In Bribery Probe
(Reuters, 6.Aug.2020) — U.S. prosecutors charged a former Citgo Petroleum manager with accepting $2.5 million as part of a scheme to bribe officials with the U.S. refiner and its Venezuelan parent to win business contracts. Jose Luis De Jongh Atencio, 48, was indicted by a federal grand jury last month […]
Venezuela’s July Oil Shipments Below 400 Mb/d
(Reuters, 3.Aug.2020) — Venezuela exported about 388,100 barrels per day of crude and fuel in July, almost unchanged versus the previous month, as U.S. sanctions on PDVSA continued limiting sales, according to Refinitiv Eikon and internal data from the state-run company. Washington has ramped up pressure this year on PDVSA’s […]
Metor Pauses Venezuela Methanol Output
(Argus, 31.Jul.2020) — Mitsubishi-operated Metanol de Oriente (Metor) in eastern Venezuela has suspended methanol production as a health precaution. The 750,000 t/yr Metor 1 plant will close from today through 15 August, and the 850,000 t/yr Metor 2 plant will close on 4-18 August. Only strictly necessary workers will be […]
Two US Execs Go From Prison To House Arrest
(CNN, 31.Jul.2020) — Two American oil executives held in an overcrowded Venezuelan prison for almost three years have been placed in house arrest, a sign that the embattled government of Nicolas Maduro may be easing its stance toward the detainees. Gustavo Cárdenas and Jorge Toledo were released to house arrest […]
Man Fatally Shot In Venezuela Gasoline Protest
(Reuters, 26.Jul.2020) — A man was shot and killed during a protest over gasoline shortages in eastern Venezuela on Saturday, officials and a local human rights group said, less than two weeks after a similar incident in the oil-producing but fuel-starved nation. The rights group Provea, citing witnesses, said Carlos […]
US Court Affirms Judgment Supporting CITGO Board
(Citgo, 22.Jul.2020) — PDV Holding, CITGO Holding, and CITGO Petroleum secured a swift and unanimous victory in the Delaware Supreme Court in the matter of Jimenez v. Palacios. The boards of these three entities were reconstituted in 2019, after the United States formally recognized Interim President of Venezuela, Juan GuaidĂł, […]
PDV Holdings Releases First-Ever Annual Report
(Citgo, 22.Jul.2020) — PDV Holding, Inc., the indirect sole stockholder of Citgo Petroleum Corporation, issued its first-ever annual report detailing financial and operational performance in calendar year 2019. Report highlights included successful debt refinancing, credit ratings upgrades, increased refining capacity and strengthened corporate governance measures. The report was released in […]
Global Gas Flaring At Levels Not Seen Since 2009
(World Bank, 21.Jul.2020) — Estimates from satellite data show global gas flaring increased to levels not seen in more than a decade, to 150 billion cubic meters (bcm), equivalent to the total annual gas consumption of Sub-Saharan Africa. The 3% rise, from 145 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2018 to […]
Venezuela’s Oil And Gas Sector Sees Worst Crisis
(Tradearabia News Service, 20.Jul.2020) — Venezuela’s oil and gas sector was already caught in a vicious cycle well before the Covid-19 outbreak created a world economic crisis. Even though there are several international companies still remaining in the country, they are not investing in any relevant manner and have minimum […]
CITGO Names Edgar Rincon COO, Executive VP
(Citgo, 17.Jul.2020) — The Board of Directors of CITGO Petroleum Corporation has appointed Edgar Rincon as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Executive Vice President, reporting to CITGO President and CEO Carlos Jordá effective 10 Augus 2020. “Edgar’s appointment comes after a series of appointments by the CITGO Board of Directors […]
New Players Help Maduro Evade Tanker Sanctions
(AP, 13.Jul.2020) — As U.S. sanctions scare away the world’s largest shippers from Venezuela‘s oil industry, new players are willing to brave the heightened risks and help keep socialist leader Nicolás Maduro afloat, according to a new report. In the first year since the Trump administration imposed crushing economic sanctions on Venezuela‘s […]
US Ups Pressure To Push Venezuela Oil Exports To 0
(Oilprice.com, 13.Jul.2020) — The United States is pressing shippers, insurers, certification organizations, and flag states registering vessels not to work with Venezuela as the Trump Administration is looking to cut off Nicolas Maduro’s regime from international oil trade, Elliott Abrams, the U.S. Administration’s special representative for Venezuela, told Reuters in […]
US Swaps Venezuelan Fuel Oil For Russian Products
(Oilprice.com, 13.Jul.2020) — The United States has been raising its imports of fuel oil from Russia over the past year and a half after the U.S. imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s exports, Reuters reported on Monday, quoting data from Refinitiv Eikon. Venezuela’s heavy crude oil is suitable to process in complex […]
New Players Emerge In Venezuela Amid Sanctions
(AP, 13.Jul.2020) — As U.S. sanctions scare away the world’s largest shippers from Venezuela’s oil industry, new players are willing to brave the heightened risks and help keep socialist leader Nicolas Maduro afloat, according to a new report. In the first year since the Trump administration imposed crushing economic sanctions […]