Venezuelan state-owned PDVSA is offering 6.4 million barrels of discounted crude oil to Russian, Chinese and Indian companies, according to a company official and reports seen by S&P Global Platts. “We are negotiating under spot contracts three shipments of 1.8 million barrels each of Merey 16 crude and 1 million barrels of DCO by May,” said the PDVSA official, who spoke to Platts on the condition of anonymity.
According to a PDVSA report, a cargo of 1.8 million barrels of Merey 16 crude that would have been loaded into the Spring Splendor tanker during April 24-26 was rescheduled for May as a spot sale. The tanker Spring Splendor unloaded a cargo of 975,000 barrels of Nigerian light crude (Agbami) at the Jose terminal, in Anzoategui state, during an April 18-20 window. The Nigerian oil was to be used as an extra heavy crude diluent, the report said.
Crudes are being priced at Dated Brent discounts between $15/b and $17/b, FOB, according to a PDVSA report. “Prices are outside PDVSA’s parameters for the European and Asian markets, but there is a need to decrease inventories at cargo terminals, and to give operational continuity to dispatch terminals and production fields,” the report said.