Agenda for Argus Rio Crude Conference
Explore the full agenda for the Argus Rio Crude Conference, covering the supply, trading and commercial shifts shaping Latin America’s role in global crude markets. From heavy‑sour dynamics and new Brazilian frontier developments to Argentina’s export expansion, freight volatility, capital flows and long‑term buyer acceptance, the programme is designed to provide a comprehensive view of how Latin American barrels compete across the Atlantic Basin and into Asia.
This year’s event also expands the scope beyond crude, with two post‑conference workshops on Day two offering deeper insight into clean fuels and gas - areas increasingly influencing crude trade flows and regional commercial strategy.
Browse the sessions below for market outlooks, deep dives and strategic discussions, including regional supply trajectories, PPSA’s 2026 tender, VLCC pairing strategies, crude–product interlinkages, and the commercial frameworks shaping flows to Asia, Europe and the USGC. If you would like to discuss speaking opportunities at the 2026 event, please get in touch.
Browse the agenda by selecting a day below
Welcome drinks and registration
- 15:00 - 17:00
Registration and badge pickup
Pick up your badges and register at our registration zone and meet your colleagues.
Welcome drinks reception
Details to be confirmed
Day 1: 19 May 2026
- 8:00
Doors open and registration extension
Badge pick up open at the registration desk. Coffee served in exhibition hall.
- 8:50 - 9:00
Chairperson's welcome
- 9:00 - 9:40
Opening Keynote
Speakers Include:
Renato Dutra
National Secretary of Petroleum, Natural Gas and BiofuelsMinistry of Mines and Energy, Brazil- 9:40 - 10:10
Keynote: Global Crude Trade Flows and LatAm Competitiveness
- Global supply disruptions and shifting long haul economics are redefining where Latin American barrels can compete most effectively
- Structural changes in Asian refining systems are altering demand for regional grades and reshaping delivered basis economics
- Freight volatility continues to influence route selection, arbitrage thresholds and cargo pairing decisions
- Which indicators signal changes in buyer behaviour, grade preferences and market access conditions?
- How global policy developments and sanctions cycles will influence Atlantic Basin flows through 2027
Speakers Include:
Daan Struyven
Co‑Head of Global Commodities Research & Head of Oil ResearchGoldman Sachs- 10:10 - 11:05
Morning Networking Break
- 11:05 - 11:35
PPSA 2026 Oil Tender - Rules, Volumes & Milestones
- Overview of the tender structure, lot design and the sequencing of volumes expected across 2026
- Eligibility requirements, documentation standards and common pitfalls that slow bidder approvals
- How FOB pricing interacts with freight strategies, VLCC pairing and timing considerations for Brazilian and Argentine barrels
- Bidder readiness milestones, from pre qualification to award, and how timing affects commercial positioning
- PPSA expectations around performance, transparency and communication with market participants
Speakers Include:
Samir Awad
Director of TradingPPSA- 11:35 - 12:20
Panel: Argentina Spotlight - Vaca Muerta and VLCC Enablement
- Infrastructure progress enabling VLCC scale exports and the timeline for consistent long haul Medanito flows
- Quality considerations: how Medanito’s characteristics influence refinery acceptance and blending decisions
- Arbitrage windows for Argentine barrels into Asia and Europe — which corridors are proving durable?
- Commercial models used in emerging Argentine exports, including prepay structures, flexible offtakes and term/spot mixes
- How producers and traders can enhance reliability, quality governance and buyer confidence ahead of export expansion
Speakers Include:
Francisco Villamil
Executive Trading ManagerVista- 12:20 - 13:50
Networking Lunch
- 13:50 - 14:20
Risk, Volatility and Hedging Strategies for Latin American Crude in a Dislocated Market
- The crude market is moving through one of its most unpredictable periods in years, driven by rapidly shifting geopolitical and structural forces. What does a modern risk framework need to capture that older models may have missed?
- Latin American barrels are increasingly exposed to external shocks rather than regional fundamentals, raising the question of how companies can distinguish between background volatility and risks that genuinely change commercial outcomes - and how to respond when they do
- Price cycles are becoming shorter and more extreme, creating both upside opportunity and downside hazard. How is that driving changes in approach to risk management and what should companies consider doing differently?
- Traditional hedging structures are being stress‑tested as correlations break down and liquidity becomes uneven. What tools or approaches offer real protection in a market where dislocation can happen overnight?
- Operational vulnerabilities - from product tightness to logistical bottlenecks - can escalate quickly and unexpectedly. How do these factor into a risk management framework and how can firms get ahead of these matters before they become a major issue?
Speakers Include:
Rob McLeod
Global Head of Energy Risk SolutionsHartree Partners- 14:20 - 15:05
Panel: Geopolitics and Latin America’s Refining Systems
- How global political shifts, sanctions regimes and product market disruptions affect refinery profitability in the region
- Refinery maintenance cycles, capacity constraints and shifting product cracks that influence appetite for specific LatAm grades
- Contracting and operational adjustments refiners are making to manage volatility and protect margins
- Impact of carbon costs and environmental regulations on crude slates and run rate decisions
- Buyer perceptions of supply reliability, quality consistency and long term fit for the 2026–2030 period
Speakers Include:
Łukasz Strupczewski
Executive Director for Oil TradingORLEN S.A- 15:05 - 15:45
Coffee Break
Coffee tasting and evening snacks served
- 15:45 - 16:30
Panel: Venezuela and Heavy Crude Dynamics
- How Venezuela’s evolving sanctions outlook could reshape heavy–sour balances across the Americas
- Refining systems in Asia, Europe and the US Gulf are recalibrating slate choices - where do Venezuelan barrels fit and where are constraints tightening?
- Blending, routing and storage strategies that are emerging as refiners seek consistency in heavy grade supply
- Compliance, documentation and banking considerations that shape counterparties’ willingness to transact
- What additional transparency or operational certainty buyers need before scaling Venezuelan-linked programmes
- 16:30 - 17:15
Panel: Latin American Supply Outlook - Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, Mexico, Colombia
- Supply growth trajectories across the region as new FPSOs, frontier developments and declines intersect
- How Guyana and Suriname’s ramp ups alter Atlantic Basin flows and the competitive landscape for light sweet barrels
- Quality and decline trends in Mexico and Colombia, and the extent to which policy can stabilise output
- Freight volatility, refinery shifts and regional storage constraints influencing netbacks and route selection
- Which producers may capture incremental market share into Asia and Europe through 2027
Speakers Include:
Alipio Ferreira
Vice President- Crude Oil Trading BrasilPetrochina
Matt Smith
Head Analyst- USKPLER
Day 2: 20 May 2026
- 8:00
Doors open and breakfast meetings
Doors open and exhibition open to coffee meetings
- 08:55 - 9:00
Chairperson's opening remarks
- 9:00 - 9:30
Keynote: Capital Flows and Deal Structures in Latin American Crude
- Financing structures are shifting as traditional lenders tighten compliance and private credit expands into upstream and trading
- Prepay, PXF and structured deals are evolving to reflect sanctions, emissions rules and counterparty screening
- How freight, carbon surcharges and operational challenges influence valuation and risk premia
- Which investor and lender signals matter most for project and corporate transactions in 2026–27?
- What terms and structures are actually clearing for crude linked investments today?
- 9:30 - 10:15
Panel: Freight Market Outlook and VLCC Pairing Strategies
- Rate dynamics, vessel utilisation and DP shuttle constraints remain key determinants of export feasibility
- Port performance, draft limits and STS bottlenecks continue to drive scheduling risk and influence pairing economics
- How carriers, traders and charterers are adapting contract structures to manage market volatility
- The role of FFAs, route optionality and carbon linked adjustments in freight risk management
- Which pairing strategies are proving commercially reliable under current volatility patterns?
Speakers Include:
Arturo Vial
Market Intelligence AnalystUltranav- 10:15 - 10:55
Morning Networking Break
- 10:55 - 11:25
Crude–Products Interlinkages - Diesel, Fuel Oil and Arbitrage Economics
- Product cracks are increasingly determining crude value - what diesel and fuel oil dynamics mean for regional barrels
- Delivered basis economics: how freight behaviour and product markets combine to shift arbitrage pathways
- Blending and quality management strategies that improve market access without reducing commercial flexibility
- Forward crack curves and refinery profitability trends that may influence 2H26 crude demand
- Practical commercial adjustments producers and traders can implement to stay competitive in shifting product markets
- 11:25 - 12:10
Panel: Finance and M&A - Investment Signals and Commercial Readiness
- Consolidation across Brazil, Guyana and Argentina is highlighting where capital sees long term opportunity
- Investors are evaluating emissions governance, quality consistency and transparency in due diligence processes
- FPSO timing, VLCC infrastructure and refinery fit remain key determinants in valuation models
- How lenders quantify risk premiums associated with freight volatility, political shifts and sanctions
- What counterparties can prioritise to accelerate deal timelines and improve financing outcomes
Speakers Include:
Bruno Donato
Associate DirectorMacquarie- 12:10 - 12:40
Buyer Acceptance and Long Term Market Access to 2030
- Asian and European refiners are tightening expectations around blend reliability, spec transparency and consistency
- What actions improve acceptance and reduce friction in long term negotiation cycles?
- Governance, sustainability and reporting practices that signal readiness for large scale offtake
- How delivery terms and contractual optionality influence commercial flexibility in volatile markets
- Practical steps producers and marketers can implement immediately to secure future demand
- 12:40 - 14:10
Networking Lunch
- 14:10 - 15:40
Afternoon Workshops and Roundtables
Discussion led, small group sessions allowing delegates to engage more deeply on adjacent or emerging markets, facilitated by editors and invited specialists.