(El Nuevo Herald, Nora Gámez Torres, 27.Nov.2019) — Embattled leader Nicolás Maduro sent about $900 million in oil to Cuba this year despite the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, a U.S. top diplomat told reporters on Wednesday. The U.S. special envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, said that Maduro has the money […]
Category: Venezuela
Venezuela energy
Venezuela-linked Sanctions Put Floor Under Oil Spreads
(S&P Global Platts, 27.Nov.2019) — The benchmark Dubai crude futures market structure moved higher in mid-morning trade in Asia Wednesday as new sanctions imposed on a Cuban company over its links to Venezuelan oil tradingput the focus back on the global supply shortage of medium and heavy high sulfur crudes. […]
Guaido Sacks Colombia Envoy, Oil Boss Freites Quits
(Argus, 27.Nov.2019) — Another prominent figure in Venezuela’s US-backed parallel administration has abruptly departed and an oil union leader has quit the main opposition political party in the latest signs of internal discord. In a 26 November letter, self-declared interim president Juan Guaido informed his Colombia envoy Humberto Calderon Berti […]
Rosneft Undermining US Plans In Venezuela?
(Atlantic Council, Matthew Bryza, 27.Nov.2019) — US President Donald Trump is conducting policies of “maximum pressure” on two countries, Venezuela and Iran. In Venezuela, Russia’s state-owned oil company, Rosneft, actively undercuts this US policy by helping Caracas circumvent Washington’s tough economic sanctions. Yet Washington has not applied broad sanctions against […]
Conoco Seeks Seizure Of Citgo Parent
(Reuters, 26.Nov.2019) — U.S. oil company ConocoPhillips on Tuesday filed a motion in a Delaware court seeking to seize shares in the parent of U.S. refiner Citgo Petroleum to collect on an arbitration award against Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA. Citgo, a PDVSA subsidiary and Venezuela’s crown jewel overseas asset, […]
Venezuela Ships Petcoke Cargo To Cuba
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 25.Nov.2019) — OPEC member country Venezuela reportedly shipped a cargo of petroleum coke to Cuba valued at an estimated $1.7 million, according to sources in Punto Fijo, Venezuela. A cargo of 26,000 metric tons of petcoke was loading onto the Lagonda tanker on 24 Nov. […]
Third Circuit Rejects Citgo Rehearing
(Argus, Elliott Blackburn, 21.Nov.2019) — Federal appeals court judges have denied Venezuela’s request to rehear a July decision upholding the pursuit of the country’s US refining subsidiary Citgo to satisfy billions of dollars of debts. The US Third Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request to hear arguments on the […]
Maduro Pledges 30 MMbbls To Back Cryptocurrency
(Oilprice.com, Irina Slav, 21.Nov.2019) — Venezuela will use some 30 million barrels of oil it has in storage as backing for its national cryptocurrency, the petro, Reuters reports, citing a speech by President Nicolas Maduro. “I will deliver these 30 million of barrels as a liquid, physical, material backing for […]
US Court Denies Citgo Rehearing
(S&P Global Platts, 21.Nov.2019) — A US appeals court Thursday denied Venezuela’s request for it to reconsider its ruling allowing a PDVSA creditor to go after US refiner Citgo, its most valuable foreign asset. The ruling by 13 judges on the US 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia upholds […]
Venezuela Opposition In Citgo Deal
(Reuters, 19.Nov.2019) — Venezuela’s opposition has reached a deal with the custodians of a bond issued by state oil company PDVSA to prevent bondholders from seizing U.S. refining subsidiary Citgo, the bond’s collateral, until May, according to court filings and a source. The opposition-appointed PDVSA board, which is recognized in […]
Venezuela Using Invisible Oil Tankers To Skirt Sanctions
(Oilprice.com, Irina Slav, 16.Nov.2019) — U.S. sanctions on Venezuela have been squeezing the life out of its economy in an attempt to remove the government of Nicolas Maduro from power, but so far those sanctions haven’t been entirely successful. The reason: Venezuela is still exporting oil. So far in November, […]
Indian Firm To Repair PDVSA Refineries
(S&P Platts Global, Alisdair Bowles, 12.Nov.2019) — Venezuelan state-owned PDVSA signed a five-year deal earlier this year with Indian company Flash Forge Private Limited (F-F) to help restore crude oil output and repair refineries in Venezuela, according to a document seen by S&P Global Platts. Under the deal, F-F is […]
Rosneft Grapples With Unsold Venezuelan Oil
(Michelle Wiese Bockmann, 12.Nov.2019) — Rosneft’s trading arm is vital to Venezuelan crude sales as Chinese refiners shun direct purchases since the US administration tightened sanctions in August. Instead Venezuela to China shipments arrive via Malaysia, through ship-to-ship transfers undertaken from Rosneft-controlled tankers CRUDE exports from Venezuela have dwindled to […]
Venezuelan Mayor Seizes Baker Hughes Facilities
(Argus, 8.Nov.2019) — A warehouse and offices owned by US drilling services firm Baker Hughes were seized yesterday by a local mayor in Zulia state for alleged municipal tax evasion. The takeover of the US company’s installations took place yesterday at 5:30am local time and was enforced by members of […]
Rosneft Cool On Venezuela’s Sweeter Gas Terms, For Now
(Argus, 6.Nov.2019) — Venezuela is offering sweeter fiscal terms to Russia’s state-controlled Rosneft for two offshore natural gas fields that are well-positioned to supply nearby Trinidad and Tobago, but the company has yet to make an investment commitment. The National Constituent Assembly (ANC), a rubber-stamp entity controlled by Venezuelan president […]
Don’t Count On Oil To Reignite Latin America
(Project Syndicate, Mauricio Cárdenas, 5.Nov.2019) — Some regard Latin America as the world’s new oil frontier, and think that the region could potentially add three million barrels per day to global output during the next decade. But, although Brazil is well placed to ramp up production, Mexico and Venezuela seem […]
Repsol Lowers Venezuela Exposure
(Argus, 4.Nov.2019) — Spanish integrated firm Repsol further reduced its exposure to its upstream business in Venezuela in the third quarter thanks to a small provision and a rise in crude receipts from the country. The company declined to specify the size of the provision against its upstream assets in […]
Maduro Pledges Funds For Shipyard In Argentina
(Reuters, Luc Cohen, 3.Nov.2019) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday pledged funds for a state-owned Argentine shipyard to finish building two long- overdue tankers for state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, which is struggling with a diminished tanker fleet. Maduro, a socialist who has overseen a drastic economic collapse […]
Brazil Says Oil Spill Traces Reached Marine Park
(AP, 2.Nov.2019) — Brazil says small amounts of oil from a spill along the northeast coast have reached a national marine park. Naval and environmental officials said Saturday that oil traces were removed from Santa Barbara Island in the Abrolhos park in the state of Bahia. Santa Barbara is among […]
CITGO: Worth Protecting?
(AFPM, Chet Thompson, 22.Oct.2019) — In the last ten years the fracking revolution has led to amazing growth and vastly increased energy security for the United States. We’ve gone from the number-one refined product importer in the world to the number-one exporter. Workers in American refineries are fueling the country […]
Ali Moshiri Seeks $500mn For Post-Sanctions Venezuela
(Reuters, Jennifer Hiller, 21.Oct.2019) — The former chief of Chevron Corp’s Latin American operations is moving to raise $500 million from big financial firms to invest in Venezuela once U.S. sanctions are eventually lifted, confident that political change will come and that foreign investment will be needed to boost sagging […]
Nynas Suspends Imports Of Venezuelan Oil
(Reuters, Marianna Parraga, 21.Oct.2019) — European refiner Nynas AB will suspend imports of Venezuelan crude following changes to a license allowing it to operate under U.S. sanctions, the company said on Monday, adding it was looking to shift to alternative sources of oil. Nynas, owned by Venezuela’s state-run PDVSA and […]
Bolsonaro Says Oil Spill Could Be Sabotage
(Reuters, 18.Oct.2019) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro questioned on Friday whether a far-reaching oil spill on the nation’s northeastern shore may have been a criminal act designed to harm a major oil auction scheduled for November. “Coincidence or not, we have the transfer-of-rights auction,” said Bolsonaro in a Facebook Live […]
OFAC Gives Nynas AB Time
(Sputnik, 18.Oct.2019) — The United States has extended a license that allows certain transactions with PDVSA’s joint venture Nynas AB despite US sanctions on the Venezuelan oil sector, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a notice on its website on Wednesday. “All transactions and activities […]
Guaido Team Proposes Truce To PDVSA Bondholders
(Reuters, Marianna Parraga and Corina Pons, 18.Oct2019) — Venezuela’s opposition last week sent holders of state oil company PDVSA’s 2020 bond a proposal to suspend legal actions for 90 days, the latest maneuver to avoid losing U.S. refiner Citgo, three sources familiar with the talks said. The investors have not […]
Chevron To Receive Venezuelan Oil Cargo
(Reuters, Marianna Parraga, 18.Oct.2019) — U.S. oil major Chevron Corp is scheduled this month to receive at least one cargo of crude oil from sanctioned Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, according to an internal PDVSA document. If the loading proceeds, it would be the first shipment assigned to Chevron since […]
Chevron Venezuela’s Exit To Aid Putin’s Russia
(S&P Global Platts, Brian Scheid and Rosemary Griffin, 17.Oct.2019) — Chevron is pushing back against the Trump administration’s plans to let the company’s Venezuela sanctions waiver expire, arguing such a move could ultimately drive oil production up, bolstering both the Maduro regime and Russia’s standing in the global market. “It’d […]
Maduro Rivals Seek Break With Citgo
(Argus, 17.Oct.2019) — Venezuela’s main political opposition is pressing for a deal with foreign bondholders to suspend a looming $914mn obligation that is tethered to coveted US refining assets. The high-stakes standoff over the PdV 2020 bond is closely watched by a myriad of other creditors, including Russia and China […]
Venezuela Readies Handover Of PDVSA To Rosneft
(Tass, 16.Oct.2019) — The government of Venezuela is ready to hand over full control over its state-run oil company PDVSA (Petroleos de Venezuela) to Russia’s Rosneft, El Nacional newspaper said citing own sources in the industry. According to the paper, the initiative was put forward with an aim to secure […]
Guaido Camp Declares PDVSA 2020 Bond Void
(venezuelanalysis.com, 16.Oct.2019) — Venezuela’s CITGO could be seized by creditors. Venezuela’s opposition-held National Assembly (AN) passed a resolution Tuesday branding the country’s 2020 PDVSA bond “invalid.” The move comes on the eve of a hefty US $913 million payment to creditors due October 28. Non-payment could mean the loss of […]
Venezuela’s Prize Oil Asset May Soon Be Up For Grabs
(Oilprice.com, Tsvetana Paraskova, 16.Oct.2019) — Venezuela’s opposition is getting ready to file within days a lawsuit in the United States seeking to prevent bond holders of Venezuelan state oil firm PDVSA from going after shares in its U.S. subsidiary Citgo over an expected PDVSA bond default this month, Reuters reports, […]
Drivers Pass Nearly A Week To Buy Fuel In Venezuela
(Reuters, Mariela Nava and Anggy Polanco, 15.Oct.2019) — Venezuelans in border areas are waiting up to six days to fill their cars and some report paying bribes to jump ahead in lines, signaling a return of crippling fuel shortages that have dogged the struggling OPEC nation for much of the […]
Nayara Supplies Fuel To Rosneft For Venezuelan Oil
(Reuters, Nidhi Verma and Marianna Parraga, 15.Oct.2019) — India’s Nayara Energy has been using Russian giant Rosneft as an intermediary to acquire Venezuelan oil, paying it in fuel rather than cash to avoid violating U.S. sanctions, three sources with knowledge of the transactions said. The United States in January prohibited […]
Venezuela’s Opposition Snubs PDVSA Bondholders
(Argus, 15.Oct.2019) — Venezuela’s opposition-controlled National Assembly signaled to bondholders today that it will not honor a $914mn principal and interest obligation because it says the debt issuance is unconstitutional. The controversial PdV 2020 bond issued by Venezuela’s national oil company PdV is collateralized by the firm’s US refining unit […]
Venezuelan Oil Output Could Be Halved Without Chevron Waiver
(S&P Global Platts, Brian Scheid, 14.Oct.2019) — Venezuelan oil production, already averaging a historic low near 600,000 b/d, could quickly plummet below 300,000 b/d if the Trump administration allows a waiver for Chevron and four US oil services companies to expire next week, analysts told S&P Global Platts. “I think […]
Reliance To Resume Venezuela Oil Loadings
(Reuters, Marianna Parraga, 9.Oct.2019) — Indian refiner Reliance Industries Ltd is scheduled to resume loading Venezuelan crude in October after a four-month pause, according to sources and internal documents from PDVSA seen by Reuters, a move that could help Venezuela’s state-run company drain its large oil inventories. The United States in January […]
Aruba Ends Citgo Deal
(Reuters, 9.Oct.2019) — Aruba on Wednesday reached an agreement with U.S. based Citgo Petroleum Corp to end its contract to refurbish and operate the island’s refinery, a statement from the island’s prime minister said. The Caribbean nation plans to pursue outside candidates to take over the 209,000 barrel per day […]
CITGO Key To Trump’s Venezuela Strategy
(Forbes, Ariel Cohen, 8.Oct.2019) — At last month’s United Nations General Assembly, the Lima Group, the U.S.-led coalition of 14 countries in the Americas seeking a solution to the Venezuela crisis, and the International Contact Group, reaffirmed its commitment to democracy and the rule of law. The human rights record […]
Citgo Bolsters Legal Defenses With Former BP Lawyer
(Reuters, 8.Oct.2019) — Citgo Petroleum Corp this week named a former BP lawyer to take on the company’s top legal job as it faces creditors seeking to seize shares in the U.S.-based refiner over parent PDVSA’s debts. Jack Lynch, who spent 18 years working for BP in Houston, London and […]
Energy Cos Caught In Spat Over Venezuela Sanctions
(Chron, Sergio Chapa, 7.Oct.2019) — Frequent power outages, theft of equipment, a political tug-of-war and billions of dollars in losses would seem to signal to businesses that it’s time to get out of Venezuela. But energy companies with headquarters or major operations in Houston — including the oil major Chevron […]
PdV-CNPC JV Managers Arrested
(Argus, 7.Oct.2019) — Senior managers of Venezuelan state-owned PdV’s heavy crude-blending joint venture with Chinese state-owned CNPC were arrested late last week, days after the blending plant halted operations. PetroSinovensa had stood out as the most resilient of PdV’s crude joint ventures at the Jose industrial complex, maintaining partial operations […]
Exxon Mobil Bars Use Of Oil Tankers Linked To Venezuela
(Reuters, Jonathan Saul and Collin Eaton, 4.Oct.2019) — Exxon Mobil Corp this week banned the use of vessels linked to oil flows from Venezuela in the last year, according to four people familiar with the matter, putting new pressure on the U.S. sanctioned country and on global crude freight rates. […]
PdV Floods Cuba With Stranded Oil
(Argus, 3.Oct.2019) — At least three Venezuelan fuel tankers are heading towards Cuba today, part of a flotilla meant to free up domestic storage space while defying a US campaign to cut off Venezuela’s oil supply to its political ally. Up to 3mn bl of refined products and heavy crude […]
Venezuela Oil Sector May Take 8 Years To Recover
(Yahoo Finance, Akiko Fujita, Anchor/Reporter, 27.Sep.2019) — A top aide to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Friday it could take up to eight years to restore oil production in the country back to full capacity. Following years of corruption and mismanagement, the strife-torn Andean nation has seen oil […]
Guaido IDB Envoy Hausmann Resigns Post
(Argus, 26.Sep.2019) — Venezuela’s parallel administration headed by opposition leader Juan Guaido has lost its most prominent figure, former planning minister and Harvard professor Ricardo Hausmann. Hausmann, who recently hinted at repudiating some of Venezuela’s debt, had been serving as Guaido’s representative at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a Washington-based […]
Guyana Key Elections To Come Ahead Of First Oil
(Argus, 26.Sep.2019) ) — Guyana will hold parliamentary elections on 2 March 2020, around the time that ExxonMobil plans to launch offshore oil production that promises to transform the economy of the tiny South American country. The ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) party that has overseen the advent of oil […]
Venezuela Oil Exports To Cuba Rising: Sources
(Reuters, Mircely Guanipa and Marianna Parraga, 25.Sep.2019) — Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA ordered an increase in exports to ally Cuba to ease fuel shortages on the island this month, challenging U.S. sanctions on shipping firms involved in the trade, according to three industry sources and Refinitiv Eikon data. The […]
US Targets Entities, Vessels Moving Venezuelan Oil To Cuba
(US Treasury, 24.Sep.2019) — Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated four entities that operate in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13850. Additionally, OFAC identified four vessels that transport oil and other petroleum products from Venezuela […]
US Actions Against Entities Assisting Venezuela
(US Treasury, 24.Sep.2019) — On September 24, the United States designated four companies that operate in Venezuela’s oil sector as sanctioned, and identified as blocked property four vessels associated with this activity. This action further targets Venezuela’s oil sector and the mechanisms used to transport oil to Nicolás Maduro’s Cuban […]
Maduro Plots Assembly Grab, Oil-For-Food Floated
(Argus, 24.Sep.2019) — Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido’s constitutional claim to the Opec country’s interim presidency could be undermined by today’s tumultuous return of the governing United Socialist Party (PSUV) to the National Assembly. Over 50 elected PSUV deputies entered the legislative chamber this morning for the first time since […]