US oilfield service firm SLB says it can rapidly boost Venezuela operations

By Arathy Somasekhar and Tanay Dhumal

HOUSTON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - U.S. oilfield work institution SLB said connected Friday it tin rapidly summation its activities successful Venezuela, provided the due licensing, information parameters and ​compliance measures are successful place.

The Houston-based institution was among the lipid companies that met with White House ‌officials to sermon imaginable concern successful Venezuela aft the U.S. ousted President Nicolas Maduro successful aboriginal January.

"We are already receiving a batch of inquiries ‌from our customers," SLB CEO Olivier Le Peuch said during a post-earnings league call.

"I would person to preface this with the close conditions, including licensing, including payments and operating licence volition person to beryllium enactment successful place," Le Peuch said.

HALLIBURTON ALSO LOOKING TO RE-ENTER VENEZUELA

Similarly, rival oilfield work supplier Halliburton, which besides met with White House officials, said this week ⁠it would question to re-enter Venezuela arsenic ‌soon arsenic commercialized and ineligible terms, including outgo certainty, were resolved.

Halliburton said it was moving done the mechanics of licenses that it said were definite to autumn successful place.

SLB said ‍it was the lone planetary work institution actively operating successful Venezuela, delivering services for Chevron nether the lipid major's license. Chevron is the lone U.S. lipid large producing crude successful the South American country, with immoderate 240,000 barrels per time successful associated ventures ​with Venezuelan state-run lipid institution PDVSA.

SLB reported a bigger-than-expected fourth-quarter nett and said it had maintained progressive facilities, equipment, ‌and section unit connected the crushed successful Venezuela.

The institution said it had much than $1 cardinal successful highest yearly gross from Venezuela astir a decennary ago, and much than 3,000 radical employed successful the country. It presently has astir 80 Venezuelans moving there, and much than 1,000 Venezuelans are employed by SLB overall.

Halliburton has been seeking resumes for a scope of positions successful Venezuela, including engineers and technicians, according to a occupation committee posting from the oilfield work ⁠company past week. The institution has besides said it could determination ​equipment rapidly into Venezuela, adding that it would beryllium reasonably straightforward ​to go operational.

Stifel expert Stephen Gengaro has said SLB and Halliburton are among the best-positioned companies to payment from immoderate caller concern that flows into Venezuela.

President Donald Trump said connected Thursday ‍that U.S. lipid companies volition ⁠soon commencement drilling for lipid successful Venezuela, adjacent arsenic companies expressed interest astir the viability of rapidly returning to the country.