Barrels on the brink: Venezuela the new crude hotbed, mounting propane pressure and the evolving sanctions landscape

Season 2 of Liquid Currents opens with a deep dive into the energy market forces shaping early 2026, as sanctions, shifting trade flows, and freight dynamics collide across crude, LPG, and products markets.Host Samantha Hartke looks at mounting pressure on US propane exports and what it means for inventories and pricing against a backdrop of still-lower Middle East CP pricing, and then is joined by Rohit Rathod, Claire Jungman, Mick Strautmann, and Delia He to unpack rapidly evolving Venezuela crude and naphtha flows, before widening the discussion to impact of sanctioned flows and the dark fleet on freight market dynamics, oil on water and product flow disruptions.Whether you are tracking sanctions exposure, freight risk, or feedstock competition, this episode sets the tone for the season ahead.