Sonangol-Cabinda Vessel Reviews and Specifications

(Reuters) – The oil tanker Sonangol Cabinda has successfully discharged over 1 million barrels of U.S. light crude at Curacao after an extensive wait of 100 days, attributed to payment issues with Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA. According to vessel tracking data from Thomson Reuters, the delays stemmed from PDVSA's payment complications following a tender awarded to BP Plc in March, which allowed for the import of up to 8.2 million barrels of U.S. crude during the second quarter. The situation has led to significant bottlenecks affecting nearly a dozen cargo discharges, inflating costs in the process. Arriving in Curacao in mid-June from Beaumont, Texas, the Suezmax tanker was not permitted to unload until it received clearance to access PDVSA’s Bullen Bay terminal on September 23.