Venezuelan state-owned oil firm Pdvsa is taking steps to buy gasoline on the spot market, likely because of the latest wave of operational disruptions at the holding's refineries, Friday said operators in the United States.

Last week, Pdvsa shut down the 54,000 bpd catalytic cracking unit at El Palito refinery, north-central Carabobo state, for some four days, following a power outage.

"This is no public bidding. Pdvsa is procuring 300,000 barrels of gasoline of catalytic cracker (catgas) on the spot market for delivery on October 15-17," an operator in the US said.

Catgas is the term for gasoline produced from fluids in a catalytic cracker. It can also be produced by a reformer or crude destillation units.

Pdvsa exports an average of 100,000 bpd of gasoline. Venezuelan gasoline sales have dropped from a maximum 200,000 bpd two or three years ago, as a result of repeated operational problems at refineries.

"Pdvsa is not a regular buyer of catgas. Now they are purchasing catgas for sale at their gas stations," another operator hinted.