Replies to post #6369 on Billionaire Boys Club Member Forum (BBCMF)

[mick]

Venezuelan VP: Oil May Have Been Sabotaged
Monday May 9, 3:41 pm ET
Venezuelan Vice President Says Output Falls May Be Due to Sabotage by Oil Company Staff


CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said Monday that damages to oil installations in western Venezuela could be the result of an "offensive" against the government by oil employees.
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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said last week that oil production had fallen 100,000 barrels per day below production estimates due to "sabotage."

"There are factors that are inside the industry and that we have already detected and will confront decidedly. There are also international factors which force the Venezuelans to answer," said Rangel, who did not give more details of who could be involved.

Venezuela's Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said last week that vandalism increased in the western region in recent months, and that equipment and power lines had been stolen.

He said that Venezuela is pumping 3.3 million barrels a day, only 100,000 below the average output level used to calculate the 2005 national budget.

Chavez expressed his support for Ramirez and managers of the state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela on Sunday, despite production problems.

The news led to speculation that Ramirez -- who is also PDVSA's president -- might be sacked. An opposition lawmaker threatened last week to launch a vote of no confidence against Ramirez at the National Assembly.

But Chavez said Sunday that the alleged sabotage of installations in the west was a "campaign" to darken the image of PDVSA's directors.

"The goal of this campaign is to try and throw shadows over the oil minister and PDVSA president ... and the current PDVSA executive board, who are working intensely and have all my support," said Chavez.

Critics say that output difficulties are due to a lack of trained staff and insufficient investment, after the government fired 19,000 employees that joined a two-month strike against Chavez in 2003.





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