Cruz Refinery News

Nine days after a slick was first spotted by Trinidad and Tobago's Coast Guard, an oil leak from a capsized barge remains unplugged, according to first responders and authorities, prompting nations across the Caribbean to coordinate a response.The spill has spread miles from Tobago's shore, the area first hit by the incident. Trinidad this week alerted neighbors Venezuela and Grenada on possible impact to their coasts.The Caribbean Disaster Management Agency, dependent on regional group Caricom…

The final tanker in a flotilla of three Iranian fuel tankers docked at eastern Venezuela's Guaraguao port on Sunday, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and a person familiar with the matter, as President Nicolas Maduro promised to normalize fuel supply in the gasoline-starved country.The three tankers, which began arriving last week, brought some 820,000 barrels of fuel to the South American country, where severe shortages of gasoline—as well as unreliable power, water and cooking gas supplies—have led to a wave of protests in the neglected interior in recent weeks.The shortages come as state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela's once-formidable 1.3 million barrel per day (bpd) refining network has all but collapsed…

The Venezuelan navy said it escorted a fourth tanker bringing Iranian fuel through its waters on Thursday, while the United States called the shipments to the gasoline-starved country a distraction from problems facing President Nicolas Maduro.The oil industries of Iran and Venezuela are both under U.S. sanctions. Iran is providing its fellow OPEC member up to 1.53 million barrels of gasoline and refining components to help ease an acute shortage, the result of the near-complete breakdown in its refining network as well as the sanctions.Washington has said it is weighing a response to the shipments.Venezuela's military has escorted each tanker through its exclusive economic zone.

The first of five Iranian tankers carrying fuel to Venezuela has moored at a port serving the El Palito refinery, the oil minister said on Monday, and Refinitiv Eikon data showed a second vessel had entered its waters.Iran is providing Venezuela with 1.53 million barrels of gasoline and refining components in a move criticized by U.S. authorities as both countries are under U.S. sanctions, according to the governments, sources and calculations by TankerTrackers.com.Refinitiv Eikon data showed that the tanker Fortune docked at one of El Palito's berths around 1 a.m. local time (0500 GMT).Tareck El Aissami, Venezuela's economy vice president and recently named oil minister…

Tropical Storm Dora, located off the western coast of Mexico in the Pacific Ocean, is strengthening quickly and is expected to become a hurricane on Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Sunday. Maximum sustained winds were about 70 miles per hour (110 km per hour), with higher gusts. Dora was strengthening quickly and was forecast to become a hurricane on Monday, the NHC said in its latest advisory late on Sunday night. The NHC warned of possible heavy rains along the southwestern coast of Mexico but added that the center of the storm was expected to move parallel to the coast of Mexico but remain offshore. It said no coastal watches or warnings were in effect.

Mexican state oil producer Pemex said on Thursday that it expects to restart operations on July 30 at Salina Cruz, its largest oil refinery, after it was hit last week hit by flooding and subsequent fire that forced a shutdown of the plant. The program contemplates three-way actions: Restarting operations; cleaning and rehabilitation of the affected site and general maintenance, taking advantage of the shutdown of the process. This last activity would allow for the advancement of the maintenance that was scheduled for next April, thus reducing the financial impact of the shutdown of the refinery. It is estimated that operations of the refinery will restart on July 30.

Tropical Storm Beatriz approached Mexico's Pacific coast on Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, dumping heavy rains that resulted in at least two deaths, caused landslides and forced road closures and flight cancellations. The emergency services in the southwestern state of Oaxaca said a landslide in the village of San Marcial Ozolotepec buried some houses and rescuers had found one dead boy, while one more was missing. Another woman was killed by a landslide in the village of San Carlos Yautepec, the emergency services added. The NHC said the storm was about 15 miles (24 km) south of the town of Puerto Angel, on Mexico's southwestern Pacific coast, blowing maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour (72 kmh).

Venezuela's state-run PDVSA launched tenders to sell one 240,000 barrel cargo of jet fuel and one 240,000 barrel cargo of ultra low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) for delivery in April, according to documents seen by Reuters on Friday. The company launched two previous tenders in recent days to buy heavy naphtha and catalytic naphtha. In March it offered seven cargos of different fuels, increasing its typical sales on the open market. The jet fuel cargo offered this time will be delivered April 20-22 at Amuay refinery, while the ULSD cargo will be loaded in Puerto la Cruz refinery on April 24-26. The company will receive bids until April 8 for both cargos. The destination should be the U.S. Gulf or East Coasts, Florida, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Northwest Europe or West Africa.

Wison Offshore & Marine Ltd., a subsidiary of the Wison Group, announced has the award of a contract to supply key modularized components for a major refinery project in Venezuela. The project, known as the Venezuela Puerto La Cruz Refinery Deep Conversion Project, was awarded to Wison Offshore & Marine by Hyundai‐Wison, a consortium of Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd. (HDEC), Hyundai Engineering Co., Ltd. (HEC) and Wison Engineering Ltd. (Wison Engineering), following a competitive bid. Procurement and Construction contractor for the project under an Prime Contract with the refinery owner, Petroleos De Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA).