TradeWinds: Rising tide of oil exports from Venezuela lifts crude tankers

May 8, 2026 US broker Poten & Partners said that the initial results of the new deal are promising. The New York shop calculated that shipments rose from about 800,000 bpd in December 2025 to 1m bpd in March. China has gone from being the biggest customer to receiving nothing at all this year. Spain and Italy are the main customers in Europe. Foreign companies can now operate, export and commercialise oil independently, even if they are just minority partners with PDVSA, Poten noted. To read the full article, click here.