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Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER bulk carrier transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Aris Martinez Acquire Licensing RightsSept 12 (Reuters) - The Panama Canal could further reduce the maximum number of vessel transits authorized per day if a drought that has hit the waterway this year continues, its administrator said on Tuesday. In a move to ease the bottleneck of ships waiting, the canal has recently changed its reservation system to allow more non-booked vessels to pass and to give priority to the ships waiting the longest. The head of the Panama Canal Authority, Ricaurte Vasquez, said the waterway would opt for reducing daily transits if needed, before planning any further cut to authorized vessel draft, which affects shippers the most. PROLONGED DROUGHTVasquez said that even though this drought has not been the most severe Panama has ever seen, it could be very long.

Persons: Aris Martinez, Vasquez, Ricaurte Vasquez, Marianna Parraga, Gary McWilliams, Timothy Gardner Organizations: Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER, REUTERS, Aris, Panama Canal Authority, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, Pacific

[1/2] Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro gestures during a meeting with Chile's Ambassador to Venezuela Jaime Gazmuri, at Miraflores Palace, in Caracas, Venezuela August 16, 2023. Energy trade, debt repayment and new financing likely are the main focus of the Sept. 8-14 visit, officials and sources said. Beijing's decision to host Maduro coincides with a G20 summit in New Delhi this weekend, which Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend. In 2020, the Maduro administration and Chinese banks again agreed to a grace period on some $19 billion of Chinese debt, according to Reuters reporting. Despite sanctions on Venezuela, China imported around 390,000 barrels per day of crude from the country between January and August this year, totalling roughly 12.9 million metric tons, data from commodities consultancy Vortexa showed.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela Jaime Gazmuri, Leonardo Fernandez Viloria, Han Zheng, Wang Yi, hegemonism, Han, Pedro Tellechea, Tellechea, Xi Jinping, Maduro, Hugo Chavez's, Joe Biden's, PDVSA, CNPC, Donald Trump, Andrew Hayley, Liz Lee, Joe Cash, Vivian Seuqera, Mayela, Marianna Parraga, Christopher Cushing, Frances Kerry, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, West, Energy, China National Petroleum Corp, Venezuelan, Venezuelan Oil, Shanghai International Energy Exchange, Shanghai Petroleum, Natural Gas Exchange, South, Shanghai, Mayela Armas, Thomson Locations: Venezuela, Miraflores, Caracas, Rights BEIJING, CARACAS, China, OPEC, Beijing, Shanghai, Asia, New Delhi, Malaysia, South American, Houston

☆ Panama Canal water levels at historic lows, restrictions to remain
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Bahamian LOS ANGELES SPIRIT crude oil tanker is pictured during its transit in the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama March 10, 2023. The authority that manages the canal added in a statement that this week's ship traffic represents a "normal" level for this season. It noted that a month before the end of its 2023 fiscal year, the canal's total vessel crossings already total nearly 800 more that what the canal authority's budget had forecast. Each vessel passing through the 50-mile (80-km) trans-oceanic waterway uses some 51 million gallons (193 million litres) of water from the lake. They argue that a potential early start to Panama's dry season and hotter-than-average temperatures could increase evaporation and result in near-record low water levels by April.

Persons: Aris Martinez, Eli Moreno, Brendan O'Boyle, Marianna Parraga, David Alire Garcia, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Aris, PANAMA CITY, Pacific, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, PANAMA

The U.S. in January granted Venezuela's PDVSA, Shell and NGC a two-year authorization to revive the project, which could boost Trinidad and Tobago's gas processing and exports. Negotiations between the trio initially had progressed little over a U.S. demand that the proposed Dragon gas project exclude cash payments to Venezuela or its state companies. "Discussions on the Dragon project involving the governments of Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago and Shell are ongoing and commercially confidential," Shell told Reuters. PDVSA, Venezuela's oil ministry and Trinidad's energy ministry did not reply to requests for comment. A second could connect to Shell's Hibiscus field on Trinidad's side, allowing gas to flow to Trinidad, the people said.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Venezuela's PDVSA, Biden, PDVSA, Shell, Stuart Young, Nicolas Maduro, Keith Rowley, Trinidad's, Curtis Williams, Marianna Parraga, Timothy Gardner, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Shell, REUTERS, Rights, Tobago's National Gas Company, NGC, Reuters, Trinidad's Energy, U.S . Treasury, U.S . State Department, Trinidad's, U.S, Washington, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Trinidad, U.S, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Maduro, Guiria, Point Fortin, Houston, Washington

File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 4 (Reuters) - Venezuela's oil exports in August fell 38% from a three-year high in July as state-run oil company PDVSA struggled to keep its heavy crude upgraders in service, according to vessel monitoring data and internal company documents. Venezuela's oil exports in August dropped to about 544,000 barrels per day (bpd) from more than 877,000 bpd in July, according to LSEG Eikon vessel tracking data. China remained the main destination for most of the OPEC member's crude and fuel exports, including cargoes transshipped through Malaysia. At the Petropiar crude upgrader, operated by PDVSA and Chevron and that processes extra heavy oil, maintenance affected a vacuum distillation unit. PDVSA boosted shipments of crude, fuel oil, gasoline blend stock and gas oil to ally Cuba to some 65,000 bpd, from 53,000 bpd in July.

Persons: PDVSA, Russia's Roszarubezhneft, Marianna Parraga, Marguerita Choy Organizations: American, Chevron, U.S, PDVSA, China National Petroleum Corp, Italy's Eni, Thomson Locations: Venezuela, U.S, China, Malaysia, Cuba, Houston, Maracay

[1/2] The logo of Italian energy company Eni is seen at the booth of Eni during the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit in Abuja, Nigeria February 10, 2020. Under the revised terms, Eni and Repsol can supply the state company with fuels, potentially helping Venezuela ease an intermittent scarcity that has led to long lines at gasoline stations in recent years. Eni and Repsol were not immediately available to respond to a Reuters request for comment. Crude received by Eni and Repsol under their swap deal has mostly been sent to Repsol's refineries in Spain. The field is run by the Petrosucre joint venture between Eni and PDVSA.

Persons: Afolabi, Repsol, PDVSA, Joe Biden's, Perla, Marianna Parraga, Francesca Landini, Pietro Lombardi, Mircely, Matt Spetalnick, David Holmes Organizations: Eni, Nigeria International Petroleum Summit, REUTERS, Companies, U.S . State Department, Kuwait Petroleum, Repsol, U.S . Treasury, PDVSA, Perla, Washington, Thomson Locations: Nigeria, Abuja, HOUSTON, Venezuela, Europe, Venezuelan, PDVSA's, Italy's Milazzo, Kuwait, U.S, Spain, Chevron, American, Venezuela's Gulf, Colombia, Milan, Madrid, Maracay, Washington

Washington has been trying to encourage negotiations between President Nicolas Maduro and the political opposition over elections in Venezuela and other demands. U.S. President Joe Biden's government is prepared to provide Venezuela sanctions relief if the country moves to restore democracy, the White House said on Wednesday. A new round of talks began last November in Mexico including Maduro's representatives, the opposition and U.S. officials, but have shown little progress. The White House declined to comment on the oil sanctions reframing proposal. MORE OIL FOR MORE PEOPLEThe U.S. is this time considering a specific offer to reframe oil sanctions on the country so crude buyers in Europe and other regions also can resume imports of Venezuelan oil in a structured, organized way, the people said.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Joe Biden's, Jorge Rodriguez, Biden, Donald Trump, Dinorah Figuera, Rodriguez, Marianna Parraga, Vivian Sequera, Mayela, Timothy Gardner, Diane Craft, Berkrot Organizations: Chevron Corp, U.S, White, National Security Council, U.S . State Department, National Assembly, Mayela Armas, Thomson Locations: CARACAS, WASHINGTON, American, Washington, Venezuela, U.S, United States, Mexico, Europe, China, Iran, Russia, Houston, Caracas

The Liberian MSC UNITED VIII container ship transits in the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama March 10, 2023. The Panama Canal Authority last week opened two additional slots per day for vessels without booking to transit to help clear bottlenecks on both sides of the interoceanic corridor. As of Tuesday, 125 booked and non-booked vessels were waiting to pass, down from more than 160 ships two weeks ago, according to official numbers. However, the average wait time for vessels to pass has risen to between 10 and 11 days this month, from 6-7 days last month. The waiting surpasses 17 days for cargo vessels and liquefied petroleum gas carriers, and is almost 13 days for tankers.

Persons: Aris Martinez, Gustavo Petro, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Abe Eshkenazi, Elida Moreno, Marianna Parraga, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Liberian MSC UNITED, REUTERS, PANAMA CITY, Panama Canal Authority, Reuters, Tuesday, Panama, U.S, U.S ., Association for Supply Chain Management, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, PANAMA, Asia, South America, Europe, China, U.S . West Coast, Chicago, Houston

[1/2] Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER bulk carrier transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama April 19, 2023. The Panama Canal Authority has reduced maximum ship weights and daily ship crossings in a bid to conserve water. Container ships are the most common users of the Panama Canal and transport more than 40% of consumer goods traded between Northeast Asia and the U.S. East Coast. Some shipping executives are bracing for more reductions later this year, noting that in 2020 a less severe drought prompted canal operators to reduce crossings to 27 per day. "The Panama Canal is just the latest example."

Persons: Aris Martinez, Max, Drew Lerner, Peter Sand, Steve Ferreira, STRI's Steven Paton, Paton, Brian Bourke, Lisa Baertlein, Marianna Parraga, Elida Moreno, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Deepa Babington Organizations: Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER, REUTERS, ANGELES, Evergreen Marine, Pacific, Panama Canal Authority, Northeast, U.S ., Smithsonian Tropical Research, El Nino, Central American, Canal Authority, SEKO Logistics, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, HOUSTON, China, U.S, Northeast Asia, U.S . East Coast . U.S, United States, Chile, Brazil, Suez, Gatun Lake, El, U.S . East Coast, Los Angeles, Houston, Copenhagen

Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER bulk carrier transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama April 19, 2023. The Panama Canal is important for moving consumer goods from Asia to the United States, especially ahead of peak selling seasons like Christmas. The Canal also is maintaining a suspension of extraordinary auctions for transit slots in both locks through Sep. 2. "Demand remains high, which proves that the Panama Canal is still competitive in most segments, even with measures taken to save water," the authority added. The Panama Canal has a 40%-market share of containers moving from Northeast Asia to the U.S. East Coast.

Persons: Aris Martinez, Elida Moreno, Marianna Parraga, Gary McWilliams, Grant McCool Organizations: Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER, REUTERS, PANAMA CITY, Panama Canal Authority, Canal Authority, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, PANAMA, Asia, United States, South, Pacific Coast, Northeast Asia, U.S . East Coast

The Frontera-CGX group could become the next oil consortium to advance an oil exploration project in Guyana to development after an Exxon Mobil-led (XOM.N) group did so. Frontera on Thursday said the joint venture was "excited by the definitive presence of oil in the Maastrichtian and Campanian, and the presence of hydrocarbons in the Santonian" areas of its exploration territory. "We believe there is significant potential in the block," it said, adding that the presence of light oil had been detected. Frontera posted net income of $80.2 million in the second quarter, compared with a loss of $11.3 million or in the prior quarter and net of $13.5 million in the second quarter of 2022, the firm said on Thursday. Capital expenditures rose to $154.9 million in the reported period -of which almost $73 million were related to Guyana-, from $131.5 million in the prior quarter.

Persons: Marianna Parraga, David Gregorio Our Organizations: HOUSTON, Frontera Energy, Energy, Exxon Mobil, Exxon, Frontera, Thomson Locations: Frontera, Guyana

Cuban tanker Petion is seen at a shipyard in Veracruz, Mexico April 9, 2021. Mexico has emerged as a top provider, sending oil on a vessel owned by state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and ships managed by Cuba. The ship previously ferried Venezuelan crude and fuel oil to Cuba, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. Cuba-flagged tanker Delsa also delivered Mexican crude from Pajaritos to Cienfuegos in June, and then sailed to Venezuela, where it loaded oil, the data showed. HELP NEEDEDRussia supplied Cuba with some 12,000 bpd of oil, mostly crude, between February and July, according to the Eikon data.

Persons: Yahir, Vilma, Pemex, Delsa, Esperanza, Washington, Marianna Parraga, David Sherwood, Adriana Barrera, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, HOUSTON, Cuban, U.S . Treasury Department's, Foreign Assets Control, U.S . State Department, Reuters, San, Thomson Locations: Veracruz, Mexico, Venezuela, Mexico Mexican, Cuba, Russia, Washington, Mexico's, Cienfuegos, Havana, U.S, San Jose

Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER bulk carrier transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Aris Martinez/File PhotoPANAMA CITY, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The drought-hit Panama Canal has temporarily limited the number of new reserved passage slots to help ease a bottleneck of ships that are waiting to transit without reservations, the waterway's authority said on Thursday. The canal, however, in June postponed further restrictions that would have required ships to lighten their loads to more easily pass. The bottleneck of vessels waiting to pass, however, has grown, prompting logistics and supply chain experts to predict more disruptions. Still, the bottleneck will not fall as hard on shippers as pandemic-era mishaps, including the Suez Canal blockage in 2021, according to shipping firms and customers.

Persons: Aris Martinez, Ricaurte Vasquez, Anatol Feygin, Rolf Habben Jansen, Lloyd, Elida Moreno, Marianna Parraga, Lisa Baertlein, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER, REUTERS, PANAMA CITY, Reuters, El, El Nino, Walmart, Cheniere Energy, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, China, El, Suez

The country's elected opposition-led National Assembly in 2019 issued an order naming supervisory boards to look over Venezuela's foreign assets after the U.S. imposed sanctions intended to oust President Nicolas Maduro. The congress is the only one recognized abroad and has received U.S. authority to negotiate any external debt payments. If the proposal is passed, the National Assembly would allow negotiations to extend the bonds' validity for five more years, according to a source involved in the talks. Venezuela's external debt, including PDVSA's, exceeds $60 billion. Reporting by Mayela Armas in Caracas and Marianna Parraga in Houston Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Horacio Medina, Mayela Armas, Marianna Parraga, Marguerita Choy Organizations: National Assembly, Washington, U.S, Administration, Citgo Petroleum, Crystallex International, ConocoPhillips, Thomson Locations: CARACAS, HOUSTON, Venezuelan, Venezuela, Delaware, Caracas, Houston

REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman/File PhotoHOUSTON, July 21 (Reuters) - A U.S. court set Oct. 23 as the start date for a long-expected auction of shares in Venezuela-owned refiner Citgo Petroleum's parent to pay creditors with judgments against the South American nation. U.S. Judge Leonard Stark in Delaware this week accepted a recommendation by a court official in charge of organizing the auction. Proceeds from any sale of PDV Holding shares would be used to pay off creditors previously cleared by the court. Any sale of Citgo without the participation of Venezuela would be "hurtful," Pedro Tellechea, Venezuela's oil minister, said on Friday. "It's not a PDVSA asset.

Persons: Jonathan Bachman, Judge Leonard Stark, PDV, Pedro Tellechea, Horacio Medina, Stark, Venezuela's, Hugo Chavez, PDVSA, Marianna Parraga, Gary McWilliams, Richard Chang, Grant McCool Organizations: Citgo Petroleum, REUTERS, South, Petróleos, PDV, U.S . Treasury Department, PDVSA, Crystallex, ConocoPhillips, Siemens Energy, Tree Investments, Inc, Huntington Ingalls Industries, ACL1 Investments, Rusoro, Koch Industries, Thomson Locations: U.S, Stowell , Texas, Venezuela, South American, PDV, Delaware

CARACAS, July 21 (Reuters) - Venezuelan expects to sign licenses by year-end for developing the nation's vast natural gas reserves, oil minister Pedro Tellechea said on Friday, even amid U.S. sanctions. Most of the South American country's gas reserves remain undeveloped after decades of insufficient investment, contract changes and - in recent years - U.S. sanctions to oust President Nicolas Maduro. But new officials running the oil ministry and PDVSA want to encourage new investment and unfreeze projects. Oil major Shell Plc (SHEL.L), which produces in Trinidad, could operate the Dragon gas field in Venezuela if Maduro's government extends it a license, Trinidad officials have said. Venezuela is producing 831,000 barrels of crude per day (bpd) this month and expects to increase to 1 million bpd by year-end.

Persons: Pedro Tellechea, Nicolas Maduro, Tellechea, Spain's, Maurel, Deisy Buitrago, Mayela Armas, Vivian Sequera, Marianna Parraga, Alison Williams Organizations: Eni, Shell, Thomson Locations: CARACAS, Caracas, United States, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Trinidad, China

CARACAS, July 21 (Reuters) - Venezuela is not willing to halt productive operations during contract audits that have led to the arrest of businessmen and officials, and to disputes with customers and partners of state company PDVSA, the country's oil minister said on Friday. Earlier this year, contracts with some crude oil buyers were also temporarily suspended while PDVSA reviewed billions of dollars of late payments and pending invoices. "Our goal is to explore, produce, refine and export every product we can," Oil Minister Pedro Tellechea told journalists on the sidelines of a conference in Caracas. Investigations related to the review of unpaid bills have been transferred to the office of Venezuela's General Attorney, Tellechea said. Tellechea also said the country does not currently have suspended contracts, but did not elaborate on the status of exports.

Persons: Wilmer Ruperti, Pedro Tellechea, Tellechea, Maroil, PDVSA, Deisy Buitrago, Mayela Armas, Vivian Sequera, Marianna Parraga, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Oil, Investigations, Reuters, Thomson Locations: CARACAS, Venezuela, PDVSA, Geneva, Caracas, France, China

A negotiating team representing the South American country has held settlement talks with some of those creditors and holders of defaulted PDVSA bonds. The U.S. has shielded Houston-based Citgo from creditors since the company in 2019 severed ties with its ultimate parent, Venezuela's state oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA.UL), which is controlled by President Nicolas Maduro. Horacio Medina, chief of the board that supervises Citgo, did not immediately reply to a request for comment. A sales process for Citgo shares that could begin as soon as September is under consideration by a U.S. judge in Delaware. Venezuela this month lost a separate appeal trying to block new creditors from attaching to the Delaware case.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Horacio Medina, Citgo, PDVSA's, PDVSA, Katherine Polk Failla, Marianna Parraga, Gary McWilliams, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S . Treasury Department, Treasury, Crystallex International, ConocoPhillips, Siemens Energy, Tree Investments, U.S, Huntington Ingalls Industries, ACL1 Investments, Rusoro, Koch Industries, New, Thomson Locations: Venezuela, Petroleum, U.S, Houston, Petroleos, Delaware, New York, Manhattan

HOUSTON/CARACAS, July 7 (Reuters) - Venezuela's opposition is crafting a proposal for the country to redirect about 200,000 barrels per day of its oil exports to a trustee to pay creditors with claims on the nation's foreign assets. A negotiation team representing Venezuela in late 2022 began formal talks with some creditors, including miner Crystallex and oil producer ConocoPhillips (COP.N), to avoid the loss of Citgo. A license by the U.S. Treasury Department would be required and Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA would not have access to cash flow from those exports, Medina said. One of the opposition's arguments is that PDVSA is currently forced by U.S. sanctions to sell its oil in Asia at deep discounts. Energy analysts estimate the U.S. Gulf Coast has more room for processing Venezuela's heavy sour crude grades.

Persons: Horacio Medina, Nicolas Maduro, Medina, PDVSA, refiners Citgo, Marianna Parraga, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: HOUSTON, Petroleum, ConocoPhillips, United Nations, Maduro, U.S . Treasury Department, Valero Energy, PBF Energy, Treasury Department, Chevron Corp, PDVSA, Chevron, . Energy, Gulf, Thomson Locations: CARACAS, Venezuela, Venezuelan, United States, China, Houston, Washington, American, Asia, Chevron, Caracas

HOUSTON, June 30 (Reuters) - Negotiators representing Venezuela have held settlement talks with bondholders and creditors owed billions of dollars from defaults and expropriation claims, the head of a board supervising the country's foreign oil assets told Reuters. The U.S. has for years shielded Citgo from seizure under a license that will expire next month if not renewed. Some $2.6 billion in court-approved claims from Crystallex International, ConocoPhillips (COP.N), Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) and Red Tree Investments could be applied to auction proceeds. "We have progressed with the bondholders and Crystallex since party representatives officially met for the first time late last year and in February, respectively. IN 'GOOD FAITH'A negotiation team representing Venezuela also has held talks with ConocoPhillips, but they have not swapped financial proposals, he said.

Persons: Horacio Medina, Medina, Ryan Lance, Citgo, Marianna Parraga, Gary McWilliams, David Evans Organizations: Reuters, Citgo Petroleum, Crystallex International, ConocoPhillips, Siemens Energy, Tree Investments, U.S . Treasury, U.S, Thomson Locations: Venezuela, U.S, New York, Delaware, Washington

Roszarubezhneft's five joint ventures now must rely on PDVSA-designated intermediaries that take a large share of the revenues for their services, the people said. The joint ventures are owed about $3.2 billion from sales handled by PDVSA, one of the people said. Roszarubezhneft, Russia's oil ministry, PDVSA and Venezuela's oil and foreign affairs ministries did not reply to requests for comment. It also could help PDVSA make progress toward its goal of raising Venezuela's oil output by 40% this year. Oil production at the five joint ventures has dwindled as U.S. sanctions have hampered investment and maintenance work, and deterred many buyers of Venezuelan crude.

Persons: PDVSA's Jose Antonio, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, PDVSA, Rosneft, Nicolas Maduro's, Roszarubezhneft, Alexandra Ulmer, Marianna Parraga, Vivian Sequera, Daniel Flynn Organizations: REUTERS, Chevron, PDVSA, Reuters, Washington, U.S . Treasury, National Security, State Department, Nicolas Maduro's United Socialist Party, Assembly, Thomson Locations: PDVSA's, Anzoategui, Caracas, Moscow, Venezuela, U.S, Russia, Ukraine, Roszarubezhneft, Venezuela's, Rosneft

☆ Claims pursuing Citgo's assets surpass $20 billion, supervisory board says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HOUSTON/CARACAS, May 31 (Reuters) - A group of Venezuela-related expropriation claims at U.S. courts pursuing Citgo Petroleum's assets surpass $20 billion, making it difficult for the Houston-based refiner to compensate them all, the chief of a board supervising the company said on Wednesday. Once one of Citgo's U.S. parent companies, Citgo Holding, pays off its debt entirely later this year, the firm will have room to get new financing, an extra tool for negotiating some compensations, Medina added. "We already have lined up $21 billion (in claims)," he said when comparing those to Citgo's assets, including its 769,000-barrel-per-day refining network, which have been valued at some $11 billion. A growing number of companies are seeking to be part of the case and participate in an eventual auction of shares. A U.S. court of appeals in May granted a temporary stay preventing six companies from joining a proposed court auction, giving Venezuela a small relief in the legal fight.

Persons: Horacio Medina, Medina, Citgo, Marianna Parraga, Gary McWilliams, Daniel Wallis Organizations: HOUSTON, U.S, Citgo, Houston, Crystallex, Thomson Locations: CARACAS, Venezuela, Caracas, U.S, Medina, Delaware, Louisiana , Illinois, Texas, United States, Houston

[1/2] Oil tanker Kerala, chartered by Chevron, is loaded in the Bajo Grande oil terminal at Maracaibo Lake, in the municipality of San Francisco, Venezuela, January 5, 2023. To back up its license application, Chevron last year signed an oil-for-debt swap with Venezuela's state-run PDVSA. The initial exports have rapidly drained the ventures' oil inventories, which had built up for years. Chevron plans to continue pushing up heavy crude output mainly at oilfields in eastern and western Venezuela belonging to its Petropiar and Petroboscan projects, according to the sources. GOLDEN TICKETChevron's license broke a four-year U.S. prohibition on Venezuelan oil exports to the United States designed to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

HOUSTON, May 8 (Reuters) - A U.S. court of appeals has granted Venezuela a temporary stay preventing six companies from joining a proposed court auction of shares in a Citgo Petroleum parent to enforce judgments for past expropriation of assets. The companies had won conditional attachments to a federal case in which the judge has approved a process to auction the shares to pay a $970 million judgment won by miner Crystallex. The six hold arbitration awards or judgments that total about $2.6 billion and wanted those awards to be included in the auction. The proposed auction, which could break up the seventh largest U.S. refiner to pay creditors, took a giant step forward last month with a greenlight from the U.S. Treasury. Washington has since recognized the opposition-led congress as the entity controlling the refining subsidiary, extending protection to prevent its breakup at the hands of Venezuela creditors.

☆ Exclusive: Venezuela's oil tankers at risk of sinking, fires, spills, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Mircely Guanipa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The report by PDVSA's maritime branch, entitled "Critical deficiencies and risks of PDV Marina's tanker fleet," said years of deferred maintenance had left the entire fleet with "low levels of reliability," at risk of spills, sinking, fires, collisions or flooding. The report, dated March 2023, was among eight documents shared with Reuters describing the state of PDVSA's tanker fleet from the oil company's corporate office, trading division and maritime branch, as well as Venezuela's maritime authority. Five of PDVSA's tankers are at least 30 years old, past their recommended lifespan, according to the PDV Marina report. "The tanker fleet is showing a decline in the quality of its operations due to advanced physical deterioration, which implies higher maintenance and repair costs. Planning for sending the tankers to dry docks has been very affected by lack of payment to shipyards and providers," the PDV Marina report said.

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