www.vheadline.com Posted: Wednesday, March 12, 2003 By: David Coleman

Approximately one thousand barrels of oil have been spilled at Ciudad Ojeda on the east coast of Lake Maracaibo after a pipeline fractured ... the area was immediately cordoned-off by the National Guard (GN) as environmental workers rushed to deal with the emergency.

Health & Safety Executive coordinator Carlos Rivero says the pipeline was ruptured after a heavy-duty vehicle ran off the road.  Emergency procedures were immediately put in place to contain the spill and to prevent it spreading as trucks began the mop-up process.

In separate news: the PDV Marina tanker Caura has begun loading 185,000 barrels of gasoil products at the CRP Paraguana Refinery in the first of thirteen cargoes destined for export to the United States for the automotive lubricant market.

CRP executive Ivan Hernandez says that with recent deliveries to San Eustaquio, PDV Marina has confirmed the reactivation of its tanker fleet ... "the industry is well on its way to full normalization after the national stoppage."

www.vheadline.com Posted: Wednesday, March 12, 2003 By: David Coleman

Puerto Cabello Fedepetrol trade union secretary general Diesbalo Espinoza says there's been an explosion in a catalyzer unit at the El Palito refinery in Carabobo State ... he claims that the National Guard (GN) and members of local Bolivarian Circles had denied access to local media reporting the incident.

Espinoza says he does nto have many facts to go on because of the new blackout but that there had probably been an accident when oil industry employees attempted to start up the refinery ... he believes that one of the control valves may have been damaged in a regeneration tower.

• Espinoza says it is the second such accident at the El Palito refinery over the last couple of weeks and that the immediate population will again suffer from contamination.

Meanwhile El Palito's general manager Asdrubal Chavez denies any explosion at the refinery and says it is "typical exaggeration by the opposition media" ... he explains that there was a problem with one of the catalytic cracker units which resulted in a process halt but that there was never any explosion.

"There was no fire ... opposition propagandists are using the (temporary) halt in refinery operations as just another excuse to spread alarm and discontent ... everything will be back up and running within the next 48 hours."

www.sfgate.com Tuesday, March 11, 2003
(03-11) 10:21 PST CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) --

A mechanical failure will disrupt gasoline production at a Venezuelan refinery for at least two days, the refinery's manager said Tuesday.

The failure Tuesday forced the shutdown of the catalytic cracker, the main gasoline producing unit at El Palito refinery in western Venezuela, Asdrubal Chavez told local Union Radio.

Chavez said the problem should be fixed within 48 hours. El Palito has 20 days worth of stocks and the failure won't affect supply, he added. The cracker produces 60,000 barrels of gasoline a day, Chavez said.

Venezuela is trying to recover from a two-month general strike to demand early elections or the resignation of President Hugo Chavez. The strike ended last month.

Venezuela, which was the world's fifth-largest oil exporter before the strike, is still having to import gasoline to because of difficulties bringing refineries back online.

www.wilmingtonstar.com changed: March 11. 2003 1:21PM

The Associated Press A mechanical failure will disrupt gasoline production at a Venezuelan refinery for at least two days, the refinery's manager said Tuesday. The failure Tuesday forced the shutdown of the catalytic cracker, the main gasoline producing unit at El Palito refinery in western Venezuela, Asdrubal Chavez told local Union Radio. Chavez said the problem should be fixed within 48 hours. El Palito has 20 days worth of stocks and the failure won't affect supply, he added. The cracker produces 60,000 barrels of gasoline a day, Chavez said. Venezuela is trying to recover from a two-month general strike to demand early elections or the resignation of President Hugo Chavez. The strike ended last month. Venezuela, which was the world's fifth-largest oil exporter before the strike, is still having to import gasoline to because of difficulties bringing refineries back online.

www.wtol.com

TOLEDO -- It may be the perfect time to turn down your thermostat a few degrees and start carpooling. According to AAA, gas prices are up $.50 a gallon from last year. Making matters worse, analysts predict gas prices will jump to $2.00 a gallon this summer, even if we don't go to war with Iraq.

The reasons? More oil is being used to produce heating oil because of a cold winter, Americans are driving more and flying less and we are sending 80,000 barrels of oil to Venezuela every day-- that's a country that usually supplies oil to the United States.

Analysts had previously said an end to a strike in Venezuela would mean a glut of oil, but now supplies are so low they don't think a change there will have much of an impact on rising prices.

The soaring gas prices are not very popular with drivers. Many have complained that these prices are driving a hole in their pockets and that it's becoming too expensive to drive almost anywhere and making it difficult to make travel plans.

"I think they're ridiculous to tell the truth. I travel all the time. I'm in the gas station 2-3 times a week. I'm spending quite a bit of money," said Jason Johnson. "I think they're a joke. They're taking advantage of us," said Tom McGuire.

Industry analysts say consumers should get used to the prices and even expect to pay more in the coming weeks. They say we might have to wait until April before we see some relief at the pump.