WOOD GROUP VICE PRESIDENT SAYS PDVSA "TECHNICALLY

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2018
TAGS: EPET EFIN VE
SUBJECT: WOOD GROUP VICE PRESIDENT SAYS PDVSA "TECHNICALLY
BANKRUPT"

Classified By: Economic Counselor Darnall Steuart for reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d).


1. (C) Summary: According to a Wood Group executive, PDVSA
is "technically bankrupt," owing up to USD 7 billion to its
suppliers in Venezuela. The situation is particularly
critical at smaller oilfield service companies, which are
finding credit drying up as banks refuse to grant them new
loans based on PDVSA's obligations. One of Wood Group's
companies in Venezuela recently sent PDVSA a default notice
for late payment, starting a paper trail as a precautionary
measure in case the government decided to nationalize its
operations. End summary.

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PDVSA Arrears Leave Service Companies Struggling
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2. (C) Neil Harvie (strictly protect throughout),commercial
vice president for the Americas for Wood Group, a major
UK-based oilfield service company, told EconCouns December 19
that the financial situation at PDVSA was "absolutely
critical." He estimated PDVSA was USD 1 billion in arrears
to the four major oilfield service companies (Halliburton,
Schlumberger, Baker-Hughes, and Wood Group) and up to USD 7
billion in arrears to its entire supply chain in Venezuela.
Harvie characterized PDVSA as "technically bankrupt," noting
there was a strong rumor PDVSA had taken back USD 2.3 billion
it had transferred to the National Development Fund (Fonden).


3. (C) PDVSA's payment problems were placing smaller
oilfield service companies in a particularly bad situation,
Harvie noted, as local banks were refusing to grant them
credit based on PDVSA's obligations. In contrast, the major
companies were able to get credit, but only by putting up
dollar assets as collateral. Harvie cited the Moscuela
Group, a local holding company with an oilfield service
business, as an example of the trouble smaller companies were
having. According to Harvie, PDVSA owes the Moscuela Group
300 million bolivars (USD 140 million at the official
exchange rate). Although the group's president, Antonio
Moscuela, is on the board of directors of Banco Occidental de
Descuento, one of Venezuela's larger banks, the Moscuela
Group is struggling to find a line of credit to finance its
operations.

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Wood Group Gives PDVSA Default Notice
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4. (C) Turning to Wood Group's situation, Harvie said SIMCO,
one of Wood Group's seven companies in Venezuela, sent PDVSA
a written default notice December 1, citing a contractual
break for late payment and notifying PDVSA that, per the
contract, SIMCO could cease its operations in 90 days in the
absence of payment. (Note: SIMCO's primary business is
supplying water injection services for reservoirs in Lake
Maracaibo. End note.) Because PDVSA was not paying, Harvie
continued, SIMCO was unable to pay its contractors and was
struggling to pay its employees, forcing Wood Group to bring
dollars in via the parallel market in December. "PDVSA is
drip-feeding us," Harvie said. He described paralysis at
another of Wood Group's projects, a joint venture with
contracts to lay three pipelines. Two of the pipelines were
now canceled, he said, and the third was suspended
indefinitely with the work halfway completed.


5. (C) Harvie said there was speculation that an additional
reason for the arrears, in addition to shortage of cash at
PDVSA, was to create a crisis at the private oilfield service
companies and thus open the door for nationalization. He
characterized Wood Group's strategy as seeking to reduce its
exposure to Venezuela but keeping a foot in the door. Wood
Group did not want its Venezuelan businesses to be
nationalized or have to seek arbitration, he continued, but
felt it important to "create the paper trail" for arbitration
just in case. Should PDVSA take over SIMCO, it would have a
contractual obligation to pay Wood Group for the four water
injection platforms SIMCO owns at their unamortized cost,
which Harvie estimated at USD 70 million. Harvie said he and

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the British Ambassador had an appointment December 19 with
the MFA's Vice-Minister for Europe to discuss Wood Group's
situation, as they were unable to directly approach PDVSA
vice president Eulogio del Pino.

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Comment
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6. (C) Complaints about late payments by PDVSA to service
companies are not new. If Harvie is correct, however, the
situation has taken a drastic turn for the worst. We would
not be surprised. Years of rising oil prices allowed PDVSA
to mask increasing inefficiency and corruption. With oil
prices down over 75 percent from their July 2008 high, we
will soon find out what PDVSA's true capabilities and
financial situation are. End comment.
CAULFIELD