Overview
- About a dozen tankers loaded with Venezuelan crude and fuel departed in recent days with transponders off, according to TankerTrackers.com reporting via Reuters.
- Reuters reports all identified vessels are under U.S. sanctions, and a source says at least four supertankers were cleared by Venezuelan authorities to sail in dark mode.
- Satellite imagery showed several ships exiting along a route north of Margarita Island after brief stops near the maritime boundary.
- The sailings could partially relieve PDVSA’s floating storage buildup after intensified U.S. actions last month slowed exports to a near standstill.
- The legal status of the departures remains unclear under U.S. measures, as President Donald Trump says the oil embargo is in full force and the interim government led by Delcy Rodriguez relies on export revenue.