MEXICO: The backlog of tankers waiting to unload crude and products around Venezuela is growing larger, Reuters reports.
As of December 2, data from the news service showed around 18 vessels anchored around Venezuela and Curacao, while another 45 vessels were heading towards the Caribbean or waiting to load crude or products at state-run PDVSA’s terminals.
Some 12 tankers were said to be waiting to unload in the previous week, with around 50 preparing to load.
Reuters cited reports from traders saying that “unpaid cargoes have been swirling around Venezuelan ports since November.”
Indeed, one tanker, Maran Pythia, was said to have still been waiting after 27 days to discharge its 935,000 barrel cargo.
“PDVSA has paid some providers, tanker owners and brokers, but the company still has many pending debts,” a shipper said to be waiting for payment was quoted as saying.
However PDVSA told Reuters that exports, imports, and port activity were “completely normal.”
Last month, Ship & Bunker reported that the current glut of oil was causing a gridlock of tanker traffic globally.
