South America

Venezuela oil exports rise sharply in January under U.S. control

Venezuelan oil exports rose to some 800,000 bpd in January, from 498,000 bpd in December, after the U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro and the ending of an oil blockade which has let traders carry most exports, shipping data showed.

Refiner Phillips 66 can process 250,000 bpd of Venezuelan crude

The price for Venezuelan crude does have to be competitive, and Venezuelan crude may displace some other sources of heavy crude including Western Canadian Select.

ExxonMobil, Chevron see glimmer of Venezuela's potential, especially in refining its crude

Petrobras expands its presence in the international market with the sale of bunker fuel containing renewable content

U.S. lifts some Venezuela sanctions to ease oil sales

The move by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control authorizes U.S. companies to buy, sell, transport, store and refine Venezuelan crude oil, but does not lift existing U.S. sanctions on production.

Russia hunts for new naphtha markets as key buyers pull back

Buyers have become more cautious after Washington imposed sanctions on top Russian oil producers, forcing sellers to hold naphtha on ships or in storage abroad from where it can be re-exported, often with the destination obscured.

AES Andes abandons $10-B green hydrogen project in Chile

Tanker carrying Venezuelan heavy oil departs to Louisiana (U.S.)

This month, trading houses Vitol and Trafigura received the first U.S. licenses to load and export Venezuelan oil as part of the deal. They have since shipped cargoes to storage terminals in the Caribbean, and from there they have been marketing and selling the crude to refiners worldwide.

India says state-run BPCL to sign $780-MM oil deal with Brazil's Petrobras

Indian refiners are redrafting their oil import strategies, buying more oil from Middle Eastern, African and South American countries to make up for a reduction in Russian oil supplies.

With refining spin off, Galp focuses on growing upstream in Brazil, Namibia

The company said earlier this month it was in talks with private equity-backed Moeve to combine their businesses in two new entities - one focusing on retail and another on refining.