[Editor’s note: Updated at 11:07 a.m. CT Dec. 31 to correct previous Reuters story after Halliburton spokeswoman says company has no staff in the country.]

Oilfield services provider Halliburton Co. has eliminated all staff positions in Venezuela as a result of U.S. sanctions limiting its operations in the crisis-stricken OPEC nation, a spokeswoman for the company said on Dec. 31.

Washington in April limited the activities Halliburton—as well as rivals Schlumberger Ltd., Baker Hughes Co. and Weatherford International Plc—could perform in Venezuela. The U.S. in 2019 sanctioned state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela as part of its push to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

Halliburton said at the time that it had halted its operations in Venezuela.

"We have zero headcount in Venezuela," the spokeswoman said in an emailed message on Dec. 31, adding that the company will maintain a presence in Venezuela through equipment and facilities.

Halliburton, as well as most other major international oil services companies operating in Venezuela, had even before the sanctions significantly scaled back operations and written off hundreds of millions of dollars in assets and receivables due to operational issues at PDVSA, and late payments by the company.