A buzz returns to Venezuela’s decayed oil heartland
Private jets fly over dilapidated Maracaibo as executives seek deals and crude prices surge. A real recovery will not be easy
Private jets fly over dilapidated Maracaibo as executives seek deals and crude prices surge. A real recovery will not be easy

Trump administration bets on US energy companies reversing the fall in crude output under Maduro

Facilities across Gulf Coast already well positioned to process imports from South American country

Licence allows nation’s state oil group to sell directly to American companies and on international market

Investors will weigh short-term disruption to Venezuelan exports against potential to eventually pump more crude

US military build-up in the Caribbean and sanctions on the country’s oil add to citizens’ desperation

Shift in policy comes after US hostages were released by authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro