Fire at Venezuela's Cardon Refinery Controlled - PdVSA

[Judi Lynn]

By Kejal Vyas
April 17, 2013, 2:09 p.m. ET
Fire at Venezuela's Cardon Refinery Controlled - PdVSA

CARACAS--A fire overnight at a unit of Venezuela's 300,000-barrel-a-day Cardon refinery is under control and normal operations have been resumed, a spokesman at national energy company Petroleos de Venezuela, or PdVSA, said Wednesday.

There was no major damage to the dewaxing unit, which rids crude oil of heavy waxy components, and no worker injuries were reported at the site, the company spokesman said.

Ivan Freites, a local representative of the oil workers union, said the fire was caused by an oil leak near one of the unit's furnaces.

PdVSA-run facilities have seen frequent fires and accidents in recent years, most notably an August gas-leak explosion that killed more than 40 people at the Amuay refinery, which is Venezuela's largest plant and sits adjacent to Cardon.

The issue has become highly politicized in this South American country with government critics saying that PdVSA underinvests in maintenance as it siphons off large portions of its revenue to finance the social programs that the ruling socialist party needs to maintain support among its constituency.

More:
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20130417-710619.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[Peace Patriot]

1. "...siphons off large portions of its revenue to finance the social programs..." ???!

I don't call them the Wall Street Urinal for nothing.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Truly! WSJ would prefer that it goes right into the pockets of the oligarchs, after all.

Screw the people, as always. They're only there to do the work, everything in the world for the oligarchs, while those racist idiots mock them, mock their ways, mock their poverty.

[Marksman_91]

2. Government claiming it was due to opposition sabotage in 3... 2... 1...