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Venezuela’s beleaguered oil export system is narrowing rapidly around Chevron as shipments to its largest traditional customer in China remain stalled amid an intensified U.S. oil embargo and mounting geopolitical upheaval.
Shipping data as of January 6 shows crude loading for Chinese buyers at Venezuelan ports has been on hold for the fifth straight day—but Chevron’s vessels continue to load and export crude to the United States. PDVSA’s attempts to serve its Asia contracts have been disrupted by the U.S. naval blockade imposed late last year under President Donald Trump’s administration to choke off revenue that financed the Maduro government. Without outbound cargoes, inland and floating storage are nearing capacity, forcing PDVSA to consider deeper production cuts.
Chevron is the only U.S. oil major still operating in Venezuela under a Washington licence that exempts it from broad sanctions on the country’s energy sector. The company resumed exports to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries after a brief four-day pause and has recalled offshore workers after flights resumed. But crude oil bound for Asian refineries has sat idle since January 1, leaving tankers anchored and Venezuelan output under strain.
The backdrop to these trade flows is the high-profile US forces operation over the weekend that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and transported him to New York on drug-related charges, a move President Trump has publicly tied to securing access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Trump has said the United States will seek to boost Venezuelan oil output and could even subsidize U.S. companies to rebuild the country’s dilapidated energy infrastructure, projecting that expanded production will ultimately lower domestic fuel costs.
For now, at least, Chevron stands alone as Venezuela’s main oil export channel while the rest of the country’s crude trade buckles under political and logistical gridlock. The ability of the U.S. and private oil firms to upscale production amid the turmoil remains uncertain, and PDVSA’s operational capacity is under acute stress.
