Page 14 - LatAmOil Week 13 2022

LatAmOil CHILE LatAmOil

GNL Quintero is Chile’s largest LNG regasifi- as truck-loading facilities capable of transferring
cation terminal, accounting for fully 75% of the 2,500 cubic metres per day for road transport.
country’s LNG import capacity. It is capable of EIG and Fluxys noted that the terminal had
regasifying the equivalent of 15mn cubic metres handled fully 67% of Chile’s total gas imports,
per day of LNG and has storage facilities capable including both pipeline and LNG imports, in
of holding 334,000 cubic metres of LNG, as well 2021 but did not provide a specific figure. ™

ECUADOR
Petroecuador permitted to take delivery of

Russian diesel cargoes despite sanctions

PETROECUADOR, the national oil company clear whether they had docked yet.
(NOC) of Ecuador, said last week that it had The decision to grant force majeure exemp-
granted force majeure exemptions to two ship- tions for the shipments came after local banks
ments of diesel from Russia that were reported declined to provide the funding required to
to be in transit. complete the purchase of the shipments, in line
The two cargoes amount to a combined with US and EU sanctions policies. Even though
560,000 tonnes of diesel. Dubai-based BB it had guaranteed the completion of this transac-
Energy loaded them onto tankers at the Russian tion, Petroecuador did announce to all suppliers
port of Nakhodka between January 26 and Feb- that it would not accept any further imports of
ruary 11, and it expects them to reach Ecuador’s Russian petroleum products.
shores sometime between the end of March and After competing in a bid in December, BB
early April. Petroecuador has said it will allow Energy agreed to supply eight cargoes of diesel
the vessels into the country, as they were pre- to Ecuador. The Ardmore Sealancer and the
pared prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine Vendome Street are carrying the last of those
on February 24, after which the US and other cargoes, and they will be allowed to discharge
Western states imposed sanctions on Russia. now that BB Energy has agreed to ease payment
“The cargoes were bought and loaded before conditions. The new agreement will allow Petro-
the war broke out. It’s clear to us that BB Energy ecuador to make payment up to 90 days after the
was not at fault,” said Pablo Noboa, Petroecua- arrival of the shipments.
dor’s oil trading manager. The NOC is eager to secure additional die-
At the time that the war broke out, the two sel supplies. Domestic prices for the fuel have
vessels carrying the shipments, the Ardmore soared since the introduction of trade restric-
Sealancer and the Vendome Street, were already tions on Russia, and traders are working to
out at sea. The ships have been floating off the source their imports from other sources. As
Ecuadorian coast since mid-March in anticipa- such, Petroecuador has been negotiating with
tion of a final verdict. As of press time, it was not US refineries about possible supply contracts. ™

The Ardmore Sealancer is one of the tankers loaded with Russian diesel (Photo: Ardmore Shipping)

P14 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 13 31•March•2022