Buyers of Venezuelan Oil Need to Go to Panama City
(Bloomberg) -- Buyers of Venezuelan crude used to visit the building across from Petroleos de Venezuela SA’s headquarters in Caracas. Not anymore.
Now, the place to go is a helix-shaped skyscraper popularly known as “The Screw,” in Panama City that houses a Rosneft Oil Co PJSC office, according to people with knowledge of the situation. The office, staffed by three oil traders, two of whom used to work for PDVSA, helped Rosneft to handle 70% of all oil exported by Venezuela in August, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
Rosneft has taken on a more active role in trading Venezuelan oil after the U.S. tightened sanctions earlier this year against the South American nation in a bid to oust President Nicolas Maduro. As China National Petroleum Corp.’s subsidiary PetroChina Co. Ltd., the biggest taker of Venezuelan crude prior to sanctions, halted loadings in August and September, Rosneft was allocated larger shares of Venezuelan crude, and so has Cuba and PDVSA’s subsidiary Nynas AB, which owns refineries in Europe.
Client Complaints
PDVSA and Rosneft have been partners in oil-producing ventures in Venezuela and since 2014 Rosneft has loaned about $6.5 billion to PDVSA in exchange for oil. After initial delays, PDVSA caught up with payments and reduced the outstanding debt to $1.1 billion in the second quarter. The crude loaded as payment is being resold to refiners in China and India. Rosneft-backed Nayara Energy Ltd., based in Mumbai, has adjusted its diet and is taking more Venezuelan barrels.
PDVSA’s trading department now is staffed with employees brought in from the Housing Ministry, the former home of now oil minister and PDVSA president Manuel Quevedo, some of the people said. Complaints include that most PDVSA traders don’t speak English, the language of oil business worldwide, and many struggle with common-place concepts such as arbitrage and freight rates. Another common complaint is that most phone calls and emails go unanswered, some of the people said.
Rosneft didn’t respond to a request for comment and PDVSA declined to comment.
In a Sept. 10 statement, Rosneft said it’s following the law because all oil contracts, including the ones of loading crude oil or delivering gasoline, were signed prior to sanctions. Threats of imposing sanctions on Rosneft while the U.S. allows American companies to operate with PDVSA under waivers can be seen as “unfair competition aimed at gaining advantages by American companies in the global oil market,” the Moscow-based company said.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Lucia Kassai in Houston at lkassai@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
David Marino at dmarino4@bloomberg.net
Jessica Summers, Catherine Traywick
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
- EU Electricity Export to Ukraine Up 94 Percent in Two Years
- China Coal Output Falls for First Time since Government Ordered More
- USA Driving Activity to Increase to All-Time Highs
- BP Pulse Buys One of Europe's Largest Truck Stops
- UK CCUS Plans Outdated: Think Tank
- TC Energy to Sell Prince Rupert Gas Pipeline Project to First Nation
- I Squared Eyes Full Ownership of Europe Gas Storage Firm
- 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