Rick Hessling
Analyst · UBS. Your line is open
Yes. Hi, Manav. Your question is quite insightful. Because when I step back and look at what's happened here over the next over the last thirty days ish, I would say it's a differential story. And when you look at the VENS barrels coming into The US Gulf Coast, they're incremental barrels, so they're putting pressure on the entire complex. And so if you zoom out and say, okay, what does that mean from an MPC perspective? I think you are well aware we have incredible flexibility. As an example, we have the ability and have some years run over 100 different flavors of crude oil, and that's due to our optionality and connectivity via pipeline barrels and waterborne barrels. And I will say and say this strongly, we will not be the largest buyer of Venn's crudes because we have more advantageous options. Especially as Maryann mentioned, especially as the sweet sour basket widens, which we've certainly seen. No one has more upside than MPC. And I will tell you, we have purchased two parcels of Venn's crude. Actually, Friday of last week, we purchased two two cargoes, but those were the first two cargoes of many, many, many offers that we saw on the screen, Manav, that were in the money. So as you know, we're only gonna purchase what is economically avail anything that is economically advantaged for us. So that's just a good example of we have better options, Manav. That's a short way of saying it. And specifically, when you look at the softening of sour crudes post the Venezuela announcement and even the Venezuelan announcement. If you look at WCS specifically, it's widened anywhere from $1 to $2 a barrel. And ironically, I would tell you when you look at the prompt month, I actually think as you look at the forward curve, it is showing that it's gonna widen out even a bit more because many of these Venezuelan barrels have not reached the market yet and have not been run yet. So hopefully that gives you some good color, Manav. One, as to our position, two, the impact of VENS barrels and what we feel is a significant advantage for us.