Venezuela and Iran dodge US sanctions through ship-to-ship transfers in open seas. Reference image.
Venezuelan and Iranian oil tankers are carrying out ship-to-ship transfers in the open sea to circumvent the crushing US sanctions on both countries, according to An exclusive Reuters report.
The report claims that, in recent months, Iran and Venezuela have carried out ship-to-ship transfers (STS) at a “remote spot” off the Maldives archipelago in the Indian Ocean.
After delivering a cargo of Venezuelan heavy crude in the South China Sea in March, the oil supertanker Maximo Gorki reportedly met the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Huge, a vessel belonging to the National Iranian Tanker Co. (NITC) loaded with Iranian condensate.
According to Claire Jungman, chief of staff at the advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), “as Maximo Gorki was making its voyage toward Venezuela, Iran was able to send out a NITC tanker to meet it near the Maldives.”
A proof that such a transaction did happen is the fact that the Maximo Gorki docked in Venezuela last week and started unloading its cargo of 2 million barrels of Iranian condensate. The light condensate is an essential component for refining the heavy Venezuelan crude. The arrival to port of Maximo Gorki occurred just days after the Iranian ships Dino I and Derya delivered heavy crude oil and condensate, as part of an exchange deal signed last year between Venezuela and Iran that is expected to boost Venezuela’s oil output.
Everything indicates that Venezuela has been able to increase its oil production with the help of Iran. Both blockaded countries that have been able to find ways to avoid harassment for not aligning with US imperialist policy.
Featured image: Venezuela and Iran dodge US sanctions through ship-to-ship transfers in open seas. Reference image.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/GMS/SC
Misión Verdad
Misión Verdad is a Venezuelan investigative journalism website with a socialist perspective in defense of the Bolivarian Revolution
