Venezuela's supply of hydrocarbons to the United States fell in September amid reduced shipments of oil byproducts, said the Energy Information Administration, the statistical arm of the US Department of Energy.

Just like in the rest of this year, Venezuelan sales of oil byproducts to the United States decreased in September, from 192,000 bpd to 179,000 bpd, a 6.7 percent decline. So far this year, Venezuelan shipments of oil byproducts have plunged 22.2 percent, from an average of 296,000 bpd in January-September 2006 to 230,000 bpd in the same period this year.

The environmental standards the US has been implementing have hit the volume of Venezuelan shipments of byproducts. However, high domestic consumption of fuels has eaten up a large part of the barrels formerly earmarked for export.

Unlike the sales of oil byproducts, crude oil shipments soared 0.7 percent, from 1.13 million bpd to 1.14 million bpd in August-September. In this way, Venezuela kept is position as the fourth largest supplier of crude oil to the United States, after Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico.

So far this year, Venezuela's hydrocarbon (crude oil and byproducts) sales to the United averaged 1.35 million bpd. This represents a 7.2 drop compared to the same period in 2006.

In parallel, Venezuela has expanded hydrocarbons exports to China. Based on the figures disclosed by state-run oil giant Pdvsa, in September crude oil sales to China recorded an unprecedented 359,000 bpd. In 2008, the goal is 500,000 bpd.