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Friday, May 11, 2018

#PDVSA to shut #Curacao refinery amid fight with @Conoco - @Reuters

After #Conoco's seizure in #Curacao was "enforced on Thursday, and inventories' custody was transferred," #PDVSA's "refinery will eventually stop (operations),"

In its first official comments since Conoco's actions started, #Venezuela on Thursday suggested it was ready to pay the U.S. oil company. Conoco said it was looking forward to PDVSA's proposals but added that absent any agreement or payment it would continue its enforcement actions 


PDVSA has told customers they must send their own ships to pick up oil cargoes in Venezuelan waters, rather than wait for it to deliver. That keeps PDVSA's ships out of Conoco's grasp.


PDVSA, which was already struggling to export its oil amid falling output and a lack of maintenance, is looking for a place in Venezuelan waters to start transferring oil from small to larger tankers, which is typically done for large cargoes bound for Asian destinations.


The country's oil ports increasingly are snarled with vessels waiting to load for exports.