Venezuela PdVSA Receives Three Additional Chinese Oil Rigs

Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PdVSA, has received three additional oil rigs that now sit in customs, Venezuela's tax agency said Tuesday. The Seniat tax agency is processing the needed customs paperwork for 'three oil drills that arrived...from China,' according to an agency statement. The Seniat said the rigs have a 'customs value' of more than $45.1 million, according to the statement. A Seniat official said the customs value includes the price PdVSA paid for the rigs as well as import taxes. The agency offered no additional details about the rigs. As part of Venezuela's closer relations with China, PdVSA has placed a 13-rig order with China, hoping to meet ambitious production goals. The purchase order includes two 1,000-horse power oil rigs received last year, four 1,500-horse power rigs and seven 2,000-horse power units.