(Michelle Labrut).- PRIVATE operators no longer control a range of key Venezuelan port functions, a maritime lawyer told Fairplay today. Jose Sabatino – from the law firm Sabaino Pizzolante, based... [see details]

(Rainbow Nelson).- THE Venezuelan government has stepped up the centralisation of the country’s port infrastructure, with a decree effectively terminating all private terminal concessions in the count... [see details]

There are more brokers than barrels of oil in Venezuela,” joked one consultant, who is himself a broker from time to time. Venezuela remains one of the best volume markets for charters, attracting dom... [see details]

NIGHTMARISH congestion and administrative snags beset Venezuela’s ports in 2H08, forcing several liner operators to divert from La Guaira and Puerto Cabello. The situation returned to relative normali... [see details]

Written by Rainbow Nelson. The Venezuelan government has seized control of key assets in Lake Maracaibo as part of the nationalisation of service providers to the oil industry, including the port’s l... [see details]

“Puerto Cabello persists in an endless quest that neither centralization nor decentralization have being able to fulfil. Why would recentralization materialize it? This makes the issue much more inter... [see details]

By Joe Brady Stamford State oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) has taken some steps in the past week to pay off back-charter hire to shipowners but real action probably will not happen un... [see details]

By Eric Martin in Stamford Transportes del Alba (Transalba) has taken delivery of its first vessel, revealing the nascent owner as the buyer of a Nordic Tankers ship sold last summer. The Carib... [see details]

By Dale Wainwright in Singapore US driller Ensco says Venezuela’s PDVSA owes it over $35m in unpaid debts from the charter of a jack-up rig seized Tuesday. Petrosucre, a subsidiary of PDVSA, has ... [see details]

By Trond Lillestolen Oslo Venezuelan state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) continues to expand its fleet of chartered tonnage and has fixed four more medium-range (MR) products tank... [see details]

The National Institute of Dredging (INC), issued yesterday an official letter in which it is indicated that the workings to recover and maintain the depth of the Orinoco Canal have been made of succes... [see details]

(Kristi Spitschka - Writer) Workers of the Orinoco ship canal denounced that on Sunday dawn was sent to Maracaibo Lake the only vessel that made works of dredging. Leoned Goitte, General Secretary of ... [see details]

By Gabriela Iribarren Insecurity is one of the factors affecting Venezuelans the most. Therefore, protection issues are present at family and corporate levels. One of the most sensible areas is c... [see details]

Caracas prosecutors are detaining seafarers after finding cocaine attached to the hull of their bulk carrier. José Orozco recounts the ordeal of victims UNDER cover of darkness, the men dived beneath... [see details]

Vessels in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela have been detained and their officers prosecuted for drugs attached to hulls clearly without their knowledge. Lake Maracaibo “is an increasingly dangerous area to ... [see details]

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Thursday is inaugurating a major viaduct -whose construction began in September 2005- linking Caracas to the Simón Bolívar International Airport and to one of the larg... [see details]

Venezuela has announced plans to reintroduce cargo reserve and roll-back legislation that decentralised ports. Venezuela Shipping Association president Juan Carlos Gamboa tells Fairplay his members ar... [see details]

US Director of National Drug Control Policy John Walters Tuesday urged several European nations to use their influence with President Hugo Chavez to stop what he branded as the growing cocaine traffic... [see details]

Venezuela is now the main gateway for drugs moving to the Western Hemisphere, according to a US Department of State study cited in a Bloomberg report. The study highlights a weak judicial system in Ve... [see details]

The arrival of the Greek bulk carrier Apollon at the port of Paranagua, Brazil, with a 27,000 tonne cargo of Venezuelan fertiliser marks the next step in a special relationship that has been forged be... [see details]

Once a special committee designated to steer the international seaport of Güiria, in eastern Sucre state, is installed on Friday, the fishermen are to lift a siege that has been in place over the last... [see details]

While a committee composed of congresspersons appeared Friday morning at Güiria international port, "discussions continue and no specific proposal has been made," said labor leader Juan Lares. Lare... [see details]

The forthcoming visit by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez to China could herald increased long-haul tanker deliveries and the final approval of a new shipbuilding contract, reports Bloomberg. In a new... [see details]

State-run oil holding Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) announced Tuesday that a letter of intent has been signed with Brazilian company Andrade Gutiérrez to build a shipyard in Venezuela in order to str... [see details]

Venezuelan officials have quickly backed off from their latest threat to curb oil shipments to the US, assuring markets that no cut-off is imminent ­ assuming US policy towards Venezuela does not b... [see details]

Venezuelan officials have once again threatened to curtail oil shipments to America, although most analysts continue to believe such a move is unlikely. Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Venezuelan E... [see details]

A major Venezuelan oil refinery that contributes to east coast US fuel supplies will be closed for two months, PDVSA vice president Alejandro Grancado told Venezuelan media today. Amuay refinery is pa... [see details]

VENEZUELA will formally become a member of the Mercosur trade bloc today following a meeting in Caracas of its president, Hugo Chavez, and the presidents of the four existing full members. The preside... [see details]

NEW resolutions from Venezuela’s infrastructure ministry have halted concessions and construction of new port facilities throughout the country, although Fairplay understands the measures are only tem... [see details]

State oil firm Pdvsa, marine affiliate PDV Marina is initialing in June a purchase agreement to buy from Brazilian shipyard Eisa Mauá Jurong eight tankers Panamax and two others for transportation of ... [see details]

VENEZUELA’S PDVSA is swiftly broadening its regional reach as ties between multinationals and other South American governments continue to erode – a trend that is being partially fuelled by Venezuelan... [see details]

FURTHER details have emerged of PDV Marina’s $1.3Bn agreement with China State Shipbuilding Corp and China Shipbuilding Industry Corp to build 18 oil tankers to carry crude between Venezuela and Chi... [see details]

PETROLEOS de Venezuela (PDVSA) and Cuban government oil company CUPET have signed a joint venture to revitalise a dormant Soviet-era refinery in Cienfuegos Bay, Cuba. According to press reports, the n... [see details]

VENEZUELA has seized two oil fields run by Italy’s ENI and France’s Total and taken control of five more through voluntary agreements with other companies as part of a plan to force state majority con... [see details]

VENEZUELA President Hugo Chavez will reportedly offer consuming countries long-term contracts for oil at $50/barrel – a move that could profoundly alter global oil politics. Chavez announced the audac... [see details]

The Venezuelan government has reached a deal to buy 36 Brazilian-made big oil tankers at a cost exceeding $3 billion, the local press reported Wednesday. According to O Globo newspaper, the government... [see details]

The alternate road around the broken Viaduct One on the main highway from Caracas to the coast is now officially open to traffic. The road, which has been resurfaced but is narrow and includes severa... [see details]

The cost of imports brought in through the port and customs post at La Guaira is expected to come down with the reopening of the main highway linking the capital and the coast. The head of the local ... [see details]

VENEZUELA is stepping up threats to shift oil exports away from the US, a move that would be a windfall for the tanker trade. As sabre-rattling escalates between Venezuela and the US, Venezuelan pre... [see details]

President Hugo Chávez promised insurance for homeless of Nueva Esparta slum -located near the viaduct- as long as they stay in refuges. A new road will presumably start operations by the first... [see details]

* A major highway linking Caracas with Venezuela's second largest seaport and largest national and international airports was closed on January 5th because of "fractures" at Viaduct 1, and aut... [see details]

The Caracas-La Guaira autopista/highway has been closed indefinitely after one of the viaducts was threatened with imminent collapse. Work has been going on for several months strengthen and readj... [see details]

Viaduct 1 of the highway linking Caracas to the Venezuelan largest international and national airports and the second largest seaport collapsed early on Thursday as the slope supporting its we... [see details]

Breaking news - Venezuela This graphic links to a study developed by Cecal-ULA (a research center at the Universidad de Los Andes in Venezuela) on the likelihood of the collapse of Viaduct ... [see details]

The highway linking Caracas with Venezuela's major port and national and international airport was closed Thursday because of "fractures" at viaduct 1, and authorities did not rule out a defin... [see details]

Simón Bolívar International Airport, in Maiquetía, Vargas state, is to continue to operate normally despite the closure of Caracas-La Guaira highway following serious structural damages of via... [see details]