by Mariana Paraga and Daisy Buitrago
HOUSTON/CARACAS (Reuters) – An Iran-flagged super tanker was scheduled to depart Venezuelan waters on Saturday with 2 million barrels supplied by Venezuela’s state-owned PDVSA, according to a document obtained by Reuters and tracking services It was filled with heavy oil. .
The US Treasury Department told Reuters last month that the bilateral oil trade could violate sanctions imposed by the United States against the two countries.
The shipment is part of an agreement between PDVSA and its Iranian counterpart, the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), which envisages the exchange of Iranian condensate for Venezuela’s Mine Heavy Oil.
Supertanker Dino I, a unit of NIOC, owned and operated by the National Iranian Oil Tanker Company (NITC), finished loading Venezuelan oil at the port of Jose on Friday afternoon, according to a source and monitoring service TankerTrackers.com. Device.
The ship reached Venezuela in September and its transmitter went off, containing 2.1 million barrels of Iranian condensate. Super light oil was used by the companies Synovensa, Petropier and Petresadeno.
Venezuela is expected to receive a second cargo of similar volume in the coming weeks as part of the swap agreement, with the first phase lasting six months.
The Venezuelan oil ministry, PDVSA and NIOC did not comment on the matter.
The exchange allows Venezuela a steady supply of the ingredients needed to convert its extra-heavy oil into exportable varieties. The agreement also allows Iran to deliver heavy oil for blending, refining or marketing in Asia.
Copyright © Thomson Reuters.
