(Reuters, 31.Dec.2019) — With an emoji of a flexing bicep, Venezuelan state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., or PDVSA, on Tuesday celebrated what was once a routine task in the OPEC nation: delivering gasoline. Acute gasoline shortages in much of Venezuela’s interior have in recent days reached the capital […]
Tag: PDVSA
US Cuts Venezuelan Flows Plans For China, Rosneft
(S&P Global Platts, 24.Dec.2019) — US sanctions on PDVSA shut down roughly 500,000 b/d of crude flows from Venezuela to Gulf Coast refineries within a matter of weeks after being imposed in January, and helped cut the South American nation’s oil production roughly in half before the end of the […]
PDVSA Completes Termobarrancas Maintenance
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 18.Dec.2019) — Venezuela’s state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) carried out major maintenance at the 100-megawatt turbo combustion generator at the Termobarrancas Electric Generation Plant, located in the Obispos municipality of Barinas state. PDVSA also incorporated the 30-megawatt Santa Inés Plant located in the […]
PDVSA, Partners Produce 500,000 b/d Of Orinoco Crude
(S&P Global Platts, 17.Dec.2019) — Production levels by Venezuelan state-owned PDVSA and its international partners in the Orinoco Belt rose to 500,000 b/d, or 38.5% of its 1.3 million b/d maximum capacity, up from 435,000 b/d November 4, according to a technical report S&P Global Platts saw Tuesday. Highlights: — […]
PDVSA Perks Include Yoga And Guitar Lessons
(Bloomberg, Peter Millard and Fabiola Zerpa, 11.Dec.2019) — Workers are starving, equipment is crumbling and output is languishing near record lows at Venezuela’s state oil producer. Yet yoga, guitar and dance lessons continue. Petroleos de Venezuela SA’s cultural arm is offering those classes to all employees along with workshops on […]
Barkindo Says US Sanctions On Venezuela Unhealthy
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 10.Dec.2019) — OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo assured that unilateral sanctions imposed on member countries of the organization are unhealthy for the efficient functioning of the oil market. “The oil that Venezuela produces and exports belongs to the entire world. As a large oil producing […]
Venezuela Releases ‘Citgo 6’
(Chron.com, Sergio Chapa, 9.Dec.2019) — Six executives of Houston refiner Citgo are out of a Venezuelan prison, according to a late Monday report by Reuters. After spending two years in prison on corruption charges, Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano, Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell, Gustavo Cardenas and Jose Pereira are said […]
Refineria di Korsou On Talks With PDVSA
(Kòrsou, 9.Dec.2019) — Refineria di Kòrsou (RdK) continues to take steps to shape the transition period that has been agreed during a meeting last week between the RdK and PDVSA last week in Caracas. It needs to be emphasized that the transition period will cover the time laps between after […]
Venezuela Gov’t, Opposition Weigh Giving Firms Operating Rights
(Reuters, Luc Cohen, Deisy Buitrago, Mayela Armas, 6.Dec.2019) — Venezuela’s government and opposition have discussed allowing private companies in joint ventures with state oil company PDVSA to operate oil fields themselves, reversing a longstanding requirement that PDVSA control such operations, three people familiar with the talks said. While a similar […]
CITGO Reports 3Q Results
(Citgo, 6.Dec.2019) — Citgo Petroleum Corporation reported strong financial and operational performance as the Board of Directors reviewed with the Shareholder the company’s performance during the first nine months of 2019 at a meeting at Citgo headquarters in Houston. The report included net income of $270 million for the first […]
Venezuela And Cuba ‘Circumvent Sanctions’
(Miami Herald, Jim Wyss and Nora Gamez Torres, 3.Dec.2019) — Washington continued to tighten its grip on Venezuela and Cuba on Tuesday, naming six oil tankers that deliver fuel from the South American nation to the island as “blocked property.” The action — just the latest in a series of […]
US Acts Against Movement Of Venezuelan Oil To Cuba
(US Department of State, 3.Dec.2019) — On December 3, the United States identified six PDVSA-owned vessels, pursuant to E.O. 13884 or 13850, being used by the former Maduro regime to ship oil to Cuba, announced US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo. Related Story: OFAC Adds Six Vessels To List […]
OFAC Adds Six Vessels To List
(Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 3.Dec.2019) — The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) add six vessels to its SDN list as of 3 Dec. and as follows. — ICARO Crude Oil Tanker Panama flag; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9038842 (vessel) [Venezuela-EO13884] (Linked To: PDVSA). […]
PdV Gets Curacao Reprieve
(Argus, Patricia Garip, 2.Dec.2019) — Venezuela’s state-owned PdV struck a preliminary agreement with Curacao to hang on to the Isla refinery and Bullen Bay terminal for a transition period of up to one year after its lease expires at the end of December. The preliminary lease extension is another notch […]
Venezuela Offers Suppliers Payment In Yuan
(Reuters, Mayela Armas, Corina Pons, 28.Nov.2019) — Venezuela’s government and its oil company PDVSA have offered to pay suppliers and contractors into accounts in China using the yuan currency, five people familiar with the matter said. The move made in recent months is the latest example of how Caracas has […]
Maduro Sent $900mn In Oil To Cuba, U.S. Official Said
(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 […]
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, […]
Unpaid Bills Add To Pemex Woes
(Bloomberg, Amy Stillman, Peter Millard and Justin Villamil, 26.Nov.2019) — Companies that help keep Mexico’s faltering oil wells operating are waiting months to get paid and the debts are building up, complicating efforts to revive an industry whose production has plunged by half since 2004. Pemex, facing pressure from the […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Greek-flagged Tanker Blamed For Brazil Oil Spill
(BBC, 2.Nov.2019) — Brazilian officials suspect a Greek-flagged tanker was the source of an oil spill that has stained about 2,500km (1,553 miles) of Brazil’s coastline. Federal police in the city of Rio de Janeiro raided the offices of Delta Tankers Ltd last week. Delta Tankers told AFP they did […]
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 […]
Brazil Targets Greek Tanker For Spill
(Argus, 1.Nov.2019) — Brazil is targeting a Greek-flagged tanker as the source of a catastrophic oil spill that has spread across the northeastern coast. Federal police say the Suezmax Bouboulina docked in Venezuela on 15 July before heading to Singapore with a stop in South Africa. Brazilians authorities have previously […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]