Heavy crude prices rise on US’ Venezuela sanctions Motiva can easily switch crude diet, Judaimi says US Gulf Coast coking margins take a hit London — A tight market for heavy sour crude, exacerbated by US sanctions on Venezuela, has yet to negatively impact operations at Saudi Aramco’s Port Arthur refinery on the Gulf Coast, the company’s downstream chief told S&P Global Platts. “So far, we’ve never had an issue, even with the situation that’s happening in Venezuela,” Abdulaziz Al-Judaimi, Aramco senior vice president of downstream, said in an interview this week in the company’s London office. “We don’t anticipate any issues. Availability of crudes, it’s a fungible commodity and you can move it from place to place.” The 630,000 b/d Port Arthur facility in Texas, operated by Aramco subsidiary Motiva, is the US’ largest refinery. […]