According to Platts, a unit of S&P Global Platts, feedstock managers at refineries in South Korea, Thailand, and Japan revealed between January 6 and 8 that, East Asian refiners traditionally prefer light, low-sulfur U.S. crude from the Americas, and their refining units are not suited to process crude grades such as Venezuela’s flagship export grades (including Merey and Poscan); therefore, they currently have little interest in Venezuelan crude, though significant spot discounts could prompt future trade analysis. According to Singapore-based refinery feedstock managers and traders, refining and logistics economics would not be viable unless Merida and Poscan crude prices were at least $5–10 per barrel lower than other flagship Middle Eastern medium and heavy high-sulfur grades. Three feedstock managers at Japanese and South Korean refineries stated that if heavy, high-sulfur Venezuelan crude grades are offered at a substantial discount in the Asian market, they would request samples for testing while evaluating new linear programming models and refining economics in preparation for potential future purchases.