Three PDVSA tankers that are late with payments to German operator Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) are being detained, according to Reuters sources, as BSM gives up on waiting for payments while conducting business as usual with floundering state-run PDVSA. BSM operates almost half of PDVSA’s fleet of tankers, and has made a move to “arrest” three tankers due to the outstanding debt PDVSA has amassed. BSM and PDVSA have a troubled past, as PDVSA struggles to pay its bills while oil production and exports fall to new lows each month. In March, BSM announced that it was removing its crews from 10 of these tankers due to a lack of payment, adding that it would return the tankers. PDV Marina—PDVSA’s shipping subsidiary—had declared an emergency following the announcement, saying it did not have the staff to accept the return of the 10 tankers. The amount of outstanding debt at […]