Extra Venezuelan gasoline deliveries to US to start Sunday

London (Platts)--22Sep2005

The first delivery of the 1-mil bbl of emergency gasoline pledged by
Venezuela to the US following Hurricane Katrina will arrive in Port
Everglades, Florida, Sunday, the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington said
Thursday. The 24,000 bbl cargo is being shipped on B/T Energy Pride, the
embassy said.
     The gasoline, produced by state-owned PDVSA, will be available
immediately to US consumers through the distribution system of Citgo, PDVSA's
wholly-owned US refining and marketing subsidiary, the embassy said. It added
that the volumes supplement PDVSA's normal shipments to the US.
     "As a hemispheric neighbor and business partner, we are pleased that we
are able to provide immediate relief by increasing gasoline supplies available
in the US in the aftermath of this devastating natural disaster," said
Venezuela's Ambassador to the US, Bernardo Alvarez Herrera.
     "We are sending additional barrels of gasoline that otherwise would have
gone elsewhere, and we will continue to do whatever we can to help alleviate
energy shortages and the dislocations faced by the people of the United States
as a result of Hurricane Katrina."
     Three other 240,000 bbl shipments are due to arrive at regular intervals
on the heels of this first shipment, the embassy said, noting that the entire
1-mil bbl of gasoline should be in the US distribution system no later than
Oct 31.
--Cathy Landry, cathy_landry@platts.com

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