On Tuesday, vessel tracking data from Refinitiv Eikon showed that Venezuela uses two more of its own oil tankers to deliver crude exports.
The tankers Colon and Parnaso set sail in September from PDVSA’s terminals, crossing the Atlantic Ocean jointly carrying about 1.2 million barrels of heavy crude. However, they had not turned their location transponders on until this week, although the Colon had signaled its destination as Asia.
Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) has started offering to deliver its own oil to some of its customers in its own tankers and factoring in freight costs in supply deals, to help buyers struggling to hire vessels to carry Venezuelan oil due to US sanctions.
PDVSA’s oil tankers are mostly are not in any condition to navigate international waters but the company has utilized vessels with updated insurance and certifications. The company also uses tankers under time-charter contracts. According to sources, PDVSA has changed some of the vessels’ names and flags.
Starting from June, the US has imposed blacklist on vessel owners and threaten to sanction any tanker facilitating the export of Venezuelan oil.
