The Wall Street Journal
Mientras las grandes empresas energéticas estadounidenses dudan en regresar a Venezuela, los comerciantes de petróleo y los magnates de los buques petroleros se están lanzando a la carga. Por Joe Wallace, Costas Paris y Rebecca Feng / The Wall Street Journal A pocas horas de la captura de Nicolás Maduro, ejecutivos de las comercializadoras de […]
TL;DR
- Oil traders and tanker magnates are engaging with Venezuela as sanctions ease, while major US energy firms remain hesitant.
- Greek shipowners are experiencing a boom, with freight rates for large tankers increasing significantly due to anticipated demand.
- Vitol and Trafigura have obtained licenses from Washington to operate in Venezuela, allowing them to source and sell Venezuelan crude.
- The first shipment facilitated by Trafigura has arrived in Curazao, with more expected from vessels chartered by Vitol and Trafigura.
- Participating shipowners include Thenamaris, Okeanis, and TMS Tankers.
- Operating in Venezuela presents risks due to the poor condition of ports and potential legal challenges from creditors, though traders believe an executive order offers protection.
- Traders are seeking buyers for Venezuelan oil, with potential destinations including the US Gulf Coast, Caribbean storage, and European importers.
- Venezuela has supplied up to 50 million barrels of crude to the US, with an estimated value of $2.4 billion to $2.8 billion.
- Vitol and Trafigura, two prominent commodity traders, are positioning themselves as reliable partners for the US government.
- The increased demand for tankers is also driven by a surplus of oil from producers like the US, Brazil, and Canada.