Refinerías de la Costa del Golfo de EE.UU. reciben récord de petróleo venezolano
Las refinerías ubicadas en la costa del Golfo de Estados Unidos han registrado el mayor volumen de importaciones de petróleo venezolano en un año, impulsado por la reciente flexibilización de las restricciones comerciales impuestas por la administración de Donald Trump. Según datos de transporte marítimo recopilados por Bloomberg, una flota de 18 buques transportó un promedio de 275.000 barriles […]
TL;DR
- U.S. Gulf Coast refineries imported the largest volume of Venezuelan oil in a year, averaging 275,000 barrels per day in January.
- This increase is attributed to the easing of trade restrictions by the Donald Trump administration.
- Shipments to North America have doubled since December and are at their highest level since December 2024.
- Venezuelan exports to China have been completely halted, with those shipments previously averaging 400,000 barrels per day.
- A U.S. naval operation against vessels used to evade sanctions contributed to the interruption of exports to China.
- U.S. refineries can now buy crude oil directly from Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) under a modified sanctions regime.
- Chevron has managed most operations under a special U.S. government license.
- Traders Trafigura Group and Vitol Group have handled approximately 20% of the remaining volume.
- Up to 50 million barrels have been sold, indicating a significant shift in Venezuelan oil trade dynamics.
- Analysts estimate imports could reach 700,000 barrels per day, but this is below the historical peak of 1.2 million barrels per day between 2008 and 2011.
- Processing capacity is limited by the closure of facilities specialized in heavy Venezuelan crude, such as LyondellBasell Industries NV's plant.