Iranian supertanker carrying oil arrives in Venezuelan waters in 2020, breaking the US blockade. Photo: IranPress.
Two tankers are scheduled to unload Iranian crude and condensate at a Venezuelan oil port within the next few days, a document from the Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA confirmed.
The document states that two tankers carrying about 1.22 million barrels of Iranian crude oil and 2 million barrels of condensate are scheduled to unload their cargoes in the next few days at the oil port of the José Antonio Anzoátegui petrochemical complex. The British news agency Reuters reported this on Tuesday, September 27.
According to the document, one of the tankers that arrived in Venezuelan waters this month is the Iran-flagged very large crude carrier (VLCC) Huge, operated by National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC). The anti-Iran NGO United Against Nuclear Iran and tanker monitoring service TankerTrackers.com confirmed its identity. As for the second cargo, Reuters claimed that the PDVSA document used the name of a ship that was scrapped, according to ship registries.
Venezuela imports condensate from Iran, a key material to dilute the extra heavy Venezuelan crude. Iran also came to the aid of its South American ally with engineers, refined products and spare parts to recover its oil industry, which had collapsed due to the US-imposed unilateral sanctions.
In fact, Tehran and Caracas have increased bilateral trade despite US sanctions against both countries. Within the framework of this strategic alliance, Iran has sent Venezuela several tankers loaded with barrels of gasoline and additives to supply the country, which was plunged into a severe fuel shortage over the last years as a result of illegal US coercive measures.
In June, Iran and Venezuela signed a cooperation strategy for the next 20 years, which includes different agreements in the energy, scientific, oil, defense, cultural, economic and food sectors, among others.
As part of these agreements, Iran began preparations last May to repair the Paraguaná Refining Center, the largest of its kind in Venezuela as well as in the world.
Moreover, a unit of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) signed a $116 million contract with PDVSA to repair and expand the El Palito refinery, having the capacity to produce 146,000 barrels per day, in the state of Carabobo.
(HispanTV) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
