Sources say that the distillation and catalytic cracker units at Venezuela's Amuay Refinery have resumed operations.
Five sources said this week that a catalytic cracker, and two distillation machines, at Venezuela's Amuay Refinery, the largest in the country, had resumed operation following an interruption of power earlier this month. Sources claim that a blackout occurred on September 12 which knocked the catalytic cracker of the refinery, which produces the finished fuel, offline. The distillation units were also halted. Due to the chronic lack of investments, power outages are common in Venezuelan refineries. They can cause operations to be suspended, resulting in fuel shortages. Restarting processing units usually takes several days.
Tankers Queue at PDVSA Ports as Delays Grow
An accumulation of tankers waiting to load around Venezuelan ports has grown in recent days as state-run oil company PDVSA struggles to deliver fuel oil for exports, according to traders and Reuters vessel tracking data. Venezuela is heavily dependent on oil exports. PDVSA's revenue represents more than 90 percent of the South American country's revenue in foreign currency. PDVSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The OPEC member's crude output fell in October to its lowest level in almost three decades due to payment delays to oil service firms and lack of investment…
PDVSA Says Cardon Refinery Cracker Working Normally
The catalytic cracking unit at Venezuela's 310,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Cardon refinery is working normally after reduced functioning at the weekend, state oil company PDVSA said on Wednesday. A union leader and refinery worker earlier said the unit was shut at the weekend because PDVSA had not paid for deliveries of imported crude it was processing. But PDVSA said in a statement that "under no circumstances was the Cardon cracker stopped," even though it was operating at a low level. Cardon and the neighboring Amuay refinery form the 955,000-bpd Paraguana Refining Center.
Venezuela Paraguana Refineries at Half Capacity
Venezuela's massive 955,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Paraguana refining center was operating at around 470,000 bpd, with Amuay's fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) still down, a union boss said on Monday, citing an internal report. The roughly 645,000-bpd Amuay refinery was operating at around 320,000 bpd, while the adjacent 310,000-bpd Cardon refinery was at 150,000 bpd, said union leader Ivan Freites, quoting Friday's report. Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA has launched one of its largest oil tenders ever, seeking to buy some 8 million barrels of U.S.
Venezuela's Paraguana Complex Operating at 560,000 bpd
Venezuela's massive 955,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Paraguana refinery complex was operating at around 560,000 bpd, an oil workers' union leader and fierce critic of state oil company PDVSA said on Thursday, citing an internal report. The roughly 645,000-bpd Amuay refinery is currently operating at around 310,000 bpd, while the adjacent 310,000-bpd Cardon refinery is at 250,000 bpd, union leader Ivan Freites said. PDVSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Mircely Guanipa)
Amuay Refinery Maintenance to Culminate Soon
Venezuela state oil company PDVSA said on Saturday that maintenance work on the catalytic cracker at its 645,000 barrel-a-day Amuay oil refinery was advancing as planned and would culminate in a week and a half. PDVSA said in the statement that other processing units at the nearly 1 million barrel-a-day Paraguana refining complex, which includes the Amuay and Cardon refineries, were operating normally. Workers and a union leader in late June told Reuters the unit had been halted. PDVSA confirmed the stoppage in early July. (Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Digby Lidstone)
Pirates and Hold-ups: Crime Strikes Venezuela's Oil Industry
When night falls over western Venezuela, armed gangs known as "pirates" sometimes ride boats into muggy Lake Maracaibo to steal equipment from oil wells. In the country's Paraguana peninsula, opposite the Caribbean island of Aruba, slum dwellers at times break through a perimeter wall into Venezuela's biggest refinery and rob machinery, construction tools, and cables to sell as scrap. On the other side of the OPEC country in Monagas state, around 26,000 potential barrels were lost in March during a shutdown after state oil company employees and contractors stole copper cables and caused a tank to overflow.
Crime Paralyzes Venezuela's oil industry
When night falls over western Venezuela, armed gangs known as "pirates" sometimes ride boats into muggy Lake Maracaibo to steal equipment from oil wells. In the country's Paraguana peninsula, opposite the Caribbean island of Aruba, slum dwellers at times break through a perimeter wall into Venezuela's biggest refinery and rob machinery, construction tools, and cables to sell as scrap. On the other side of the OPEC country in Monagas state, around 26,000 potential barrels were lost in March during a shutdown after state oil company employees and contractors stole copper cables and caused a tank to overflow.
Venezuela's Amuay Refinery Up, Operating
Venezuela's 645,000 barrel-per-day Amuay refinery has resumed operations after a vapor problem on Tuesday and is currently operating at 370,000 bpd, workers said on Thursday. The 64,000 bpd flexicoker at the OPEC country's biggest refinery, however, is still down, workers added. State oil company PDVSA declined to comment. Reporting by Sailu Urribarri
PDVSA's Cardon Refinery Slowed by Equipment Outages
Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA said its 310,000 barrel-per-day Cardon refinery was hit by an electrical fault during a weekend storm, resulting in the halting of some units. A storm on the Paraguana peninsula knocked out electricity late on Saturday, the company said in a statement. "Operating personnel took immediate control of the installations and proceeded to halt the affected units as a preventative measure," it said. A PDVSA spokesman on Monday could not say what units were affected or whether they had been restarted. The nearby 645,000 barrel-per-day Amuay refinery is being restarted after a blackout had shut it down Tuesday night.
CNPC Gets Two Venezuelan Jet Fuel Cargos in July
China Oil Corp, a unit of state-run CNPC, in July received two 240,000-barrel cargos of jet fuel from Petroleos de Venezuela, and the shipments were sent to the United States, according to an internal PDVSA document seen by Reuters on Monday. China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and its trading arm Petrochina normally take cargos of Venezuelan fuels such as diesel, fuel oil and jet fuel. It either uses those cargos for its own needs or resells them directly to refining companies. China receives the Venezuelan oil as payment for loans made to Venezuela's government that date back to 2007.
PDVSA to Sell Jet Fuel and ULSD Cargos for April
Venezuela's state-run PDVSA launched tenders to sell one 240,000 barrel cargo of jet fuel and one 240,000 barrel cargo of ultra low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) for delivery in April, according to documents seen by Reuters on Friday. The company launched two previous tenders in recent days to buy heavy naphtha and catalytic naphtha. In March it offered seven cargos of different fuels, increasing its typical sales on the open market. The jet fuel cargo offered this time will be delivered April 20-22 at Amuay refinery, while the ULSD cargo will be loaded in Puerto la Cruz refinery on April 24-26. The company will receive bids until April 8 for both cargos.
