economy
diciembre 19, 2025
La Conversa | Gasolina pudiese escasear si incautación de buques se vuelve sistemática
El economista y experto en materia de petróleo, Francisco Monaldi, sostuvo que si la incautación de buques petroleros se prolonga, esto podría desencadenar una escasez de gasolina.
TL;DR
- Prolonged seizure of oil tankers could lead to a gasoline shortage in Venezuela.
- Venezuela now imports components for gasoline production, making their arrival crucial.
- Systematic tanker seizures could drastically reduce Venezuela's oil production levels.
- 80% of Venezuelan crude oil goes to China, 16% to the US (Chevron license), and 3% to Cuba.
- The Skipper tanker was seized by the US, but the crew was released.
- Many Venezuelan oil tankers are sailing with radars off or are not leaving port.
- The situation may cause further devaluation of the bolívar and economic contraction.
- Discounts on oil sales have doubled following tanker seizures.
- There are approximately 11 million barrels of Venezuelan oil floating, unlikely to be exported.
- Russian oil, which competes with Venezuelan crude, is only sanctioned if sold above a certain price level.
- Chinese and Iranian crudes are lighter and preferred by buyers over Venezuelan crude.
- Venezuela's oil storage capacity is limited, and storing oil on ships is costly.
- The flow of US dollars directly into the Venezuelan economy has decreased with new regulations, shifting currency acquisition to the black market and cryptocurrencies.
- Venezuela's oil production collapsed in 2020 due to secondary sanctions and COVID-19.