Venezuela-Africa Oil Pipeline

[M.S. Islam]

What if the Chinese lay such a pipeline below Atlantic from Venezuela to an African country on the west coast for re-export? And thus gaining control over world's largest oil reserves? How would the global geopolitics be affected?

 

[johnincornwall]

Don't worry about it, Maduro wont be around much longer and sanity will be restored with huge western investment

 

[janusdviveidis]

Why would Chinese take such a risk? Venezuela has history of nationalization and oil prices tend to be volatile.

 

[M.S. Islam]

Why would Chinese take such a risk? Venezuela has history of nationalization and oil prices tend to be volatile.

China can re-export the oil to Europe, and thus eat into US influence significantly. Middle East policies would be completely realigned. This will also take care of China's own increasing demand for oil.

Worth taking some risk.

 

[Dan Howard]

Distance from Venezuela to, say, Nigeria is 8,100km. Cost of offshore pipelines averages $2.1 million per km. Total cost of pipeline would be at least $17 billion dollars.
Both ends of the pipeline are in countries that are so crime-ridden and corrupt that organised crime would be in control of that pipeline in less than a year.

 

[M.S. Islam]

Distance from Venezuela to, say, Nigeria is 8,100km. Cost of offshore pipelines averages $2.1 million per km. Total cost of pipeline would be at least $17 billion dollars.
Both ends of the pipeline are in countries that are so crime-ridden and corrupt that organised crime would be in control of that pipeline in less than a year.

Coast to coast the distance would be around 6000 km, and instead of Nigeria, Western Sahara would be a better pick.

Considering the stake, the investment is puny for the Chinese.

 

[aggienation]

Makes no sense. Pipeline are used to move oil from areas where logistics has trouble moving them to areas where it's easy to ship. Creating a pipeline from the coast of Venezuela, loaded with functioning ports already possessing infrastructure to ship oil, all the way across the Atlantic to Africa, where a coastal port would need to be completely set up to receive, is a gigantic waste of money.

If China wants to control them, easy. Full a dufflebags with cash. Keep giving bag to govt officials until they do what China wants. Its worked all over the world, it already worked in Venezuela. The only current problem is nobody wants the oil, it costs more to pump than to buy.

 

[David Vagamundo]

Makes no sense. Pipeline are used to move oil from areas where logistics has trouble moving them to areas where it's easy to ship. Creating a pipeline from the coast of Venezuela, loaded with functioning ports already possessing infrastructure to ship oil, all the way across the Atlantic to Africa, where a coastal port would need to be completely set up to receive, is a gigantic waste of money.

If China wants to control them, easy. Full a dufflebags with cash. Keep giving bag to govt officials until they do what China wants. Its worked all over the world, it already worked in Venezuela. The only current problem is nobody wants the oil, it costs more to pump than to buy.

I think the first paragrpah is right. China has lots of shipping and shipyards and could move the oil where it wanted without depending on politics in West Africa.

This proposal also doesn’t take account of global environmental opposition to construction of a pipeline under the Atlantic and possible disastrous pollution should pipeline leak or rupture.

 

[M.S. Islam]

Oil through a pipeline moves wayyy faster than tankers. Having a pipeline in Africa is as good as having an oilfield in Africa. Pretty basic, one would have thought.

 

[aggienation]

Oil through a pipeline moves wayyy faster than tankers. Having a pipeline in Africa is as good as having an oilfield in Africa. Pretty basic, one would have thought.

First, the oil isn't needed in Africa (who have their own oil), its needed in China. All oil leaving Venezuela that China wants has to go to China. That's the destination, the car fuel tanks inside mainland China. You planning on building a pipeline clear to China from Africa next?

Second, Africa is full of oil. Good lord, how do you start a thread on this and not know that the only reason China is even involved in Africa now is because of its natural resources, including oil, which China is absolutely desperate for?

Third, speed of moving oil in a pipeline is immaterial when cost plays comes into play. Building and maintaining a pipeline is slow and costly, much more costly than simply loading said oil into an oil tanker and sailing it to China (which is the cheapest way of moving oil and its ultimate destination).

Fourth, nothing you wrote is basic. Don't try to play the smart guy and that everyone who doesn't understand the practicality of a trans Venezuela-Africa oil pipeline isn't smart enough to understand. You have demonstrated in this thread you have no idea at all about the basics of economics, logistics, engineering. Don't lecture and insult others on things its absolutely clear you don't understand in the slightest.

Let's say you're a person who craves cheeseburgers. You have an option of buying burgers from McDonalds and Burger King, which are located on the other side of town. The destination for any burgers purchased is your stomach. To make eating burgers easier, would you try to connect each burger joint to one another? Or to your house?