Venezuela's IOUs Pile Up, Keeping US Oil Servicers in Tow
(Bloomberg) -- For Schlumberger Ltd. and Halliburton Co. the road to payment for services in Venezuela is increasingly long and winding.
The latest twist is Petroleos de Venezuela’s decision to give some contractors -- including the two oilfield service companies -- promissory notes that are essentially IOUs. It’s the second straight year that oilfield contractors have agreed to take the notes, representing some $2 billion owed.
The decision has opened new debate on how best to deal with a country carrying $19.8 billion in unpaid bills beyond the notes, according to a financial report earlier this month. In October and November, Venezuela and PDVSA must make $3.53 billion in debt payments to keep from getting cut off from global bond markets. The promissory notes help Venezuela preserve a key link with service companies needed to keep the oil and money flowing, said Tom Curran, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets in New York.
Although PDVSA has been chronically late on its bills since the global financial crisis, the company “has nevertheless steadily chipped away at them, however erratically and unpredictably," Curran said in an interview. More importantly, PDVSA has repeatedly signaled its intention to pay, he said.
Both sides get some benefit from the promissory notes. Venezuela stays connected to the servicers. The companies get to collect interest off their unpaid bills and, at the same time, they’ve established a stronger legal claim to the money they’re owed, according to Brian Youngberg, an analyst at Edward Jones in St. Louis.
Oil Reserves
Home to the world’s largest oil reserves, Venezuela is producing a fifth as much crude as Saudi Arabia or the U.S. as a wave of nationalizations and payment delays have cut investment and maintenance at Venezuela’s oil fields. Staying connected to the debt owed Schlumberger and Halliburton allows PDVSA to keep open the chance of a energy revitalization in the future -- fueled by those service companies.
"Bless their hearts, they are trying," Russ Dallen, a managing partner at Caracas Capital Markets, said of PDVSA. "There’s a hurricane blowing against them, but they keep on pointing into the wind."
Still, the notes may well keep the companies behind others for payback, said James West, an analyst at Evercore ISI.
"A promissory note is interesting, but I’m not sure it puts you ahead of major governments," he said in a telephone interview. "No one’s getting paid in Venezuela for a long period of time."
Representatives for Schlumberger and Halliburton both declined to comment on the promissory notes. Schlumberger fell 0.1 percent to $63.32 at 12:44 p.m. in New York, while Halliburton climbed 1.3 percent to $39.16.
The companies disclosed the financial agreements with their "primary customer in Venezuela" last month when reporting second-quarter earnings results. Both took a charge for marking down the financial instruments by more than half to their market value.
‘Heavy Loss’
"When you have to mark these things to market, it’s not pretty," Dallen said. "It’s a heavy loss."
Schlumberger’s note represents $700 million in bills owed to the Houston- and Paris-based company. But it took a $460 million charge in the second quarter for entering into the agreement during the period. The note, a three-year term with interest of 6.5 percent, will be held as available for sale, Schlumberger said in a federal filing.
Halliburton declined to specify the term and interest rate on its note which hadn’t officially been exchanged when the Houston-based company disclosed the agreement last month. It will represent $375 million worth of receivables. Yet, Halliburton recognized a loss of $262 million after its fair-market value adjustment.
12
View Full Article
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.
- ExxonMobil Racks Up Discoveries in Guyana Block Eyed by Chevron
- Oil Market Sentiment Has Improved Significantly
- EU, US Eye Collaboration on Nuclear Materials
- USA Driving Activity to Increase to All-Time Highs
- TC Energy to Sell Prince Rupert Gas Pipeline Project to First Nation
- EU Electricity Export to Ukraine Up 94 Percent in Two Years
- China Coal Output Falls for First Time since Government Ordered More
- BP Pulse Buys One of Europe's Largest Truck Stops
- UK CCUS Plans Outdated: Think Tank
- North America Enters Rig Loss Streak
- Norway Regulator Blasts Proposal to Halt New Oil and Gas Permits
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Major Oilfield Discovery
- EIA Drops 2024 Henry Hub Gas Price Forecast
- EIA and Standard Chartered Offer Up Latest Oil Price Predictions
- Red Sea Region Sees Another Watershed Incident
- Chevron Oil Project in Kazakhstan to Cost $48.5B
- OPEC Voices Encouragement after IEA Affirms Support for Oil Security
- Biden Govt Bares Strategy for Freight Charging, Hydrogen Fueling Infra
- Ukraine Hits Third Russian Refinery In Escalating Drone Strikes
- Rystad Looks at the Buzz Around White Hydrogen
- VIDEO: Missile Attack Kills Crew Transiting Gulf of Aden
- Norway Regulator Blasts Proposal to Halt New Oil and Gas Permits
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Major Oilfield Discovery
- What Is the Biggest Risk to Offshore Oil and Gas Personnel in 2024?
- Is Peak Oil Demand Close?
- Vessel Sinks in Red Sea After Missile Strike
- JP Morgan, Standard Chartered Reveal Latest Oil Price Forecasts
- Exxon Rights in Stabroek Do Not Apply to Hess Merger with Chevron: Hess
- Rystad Forecasts Net Production of Top Permian Producers in 2024
- Analysts Reveal Latest Oil Price Outlook Following OPEC+ Cut Extension