After the seizure of two oil tankers in Venezuelan waters by the United States, the debate on the so-called “ghost fleet”, sanctioned tankers that use different tactics to reach ports, load oil and follow their routes.
According to a report by the NGO Transparencia Venezuela, last November the number of international tankers destined for Venezuelan oil terminals decreased. The organization detected 98 vessels, 14 less than in October.
Of the 98 tankers, 64 are international, 17 are from PDVSA and 17 arrived with their AIS signals turned off.
The organization believe that the Military operations and tensions with the United States are linked to the decrease in the number of ships. Therefore, they estimate that 40 percent of the ships that arrive in the country are irregular. According to the monitor, the proportion of sanctioned vessels is 14, poaching (9) and dark fleets (17).
The report also states that the number of tankers commissioned by the American Chevron increased. By November, eight tankers were counted compared to the three identified in October.
“All of them arrived with a medium load and left for US ports, such as Corpus Christi and Beaumont, in Texas, and Good Hope in Louisiana, with their warehouses full of crude oil as shown by the cargo data provided by maritime tracking systems,” the NGO document reads.
China continues receiving Venezuelan crude oil
However, the shipment of crude oil to China continues because most tankers do not declare Chinese ports as their last destination. “Only two vessels appeared in the registry with origin terminals in Zhoushan and Ningbo, but neither they nor others presented ports in China as their immediate destination in their manifests,” the report states.
Furthermore, only a third of the tankers observed in November present destination manifests. So, Where do the rest of the Venezuelan crude oil shipments go?
The dark Russian fleet that prowled Venezuelan waters
In that same November it was learned that a US warship forced Russian tanker to divert its route. This was headed to the Venezuelan Eastern Coast, specifically to the José Antonio Anzoátegui Petrochemical Complex.
It is about the oil SeaHorsesanctioned by the European Union and the United Kingdomfor his participation in the transfer of Russian oil in the context of the war in Ukraine.
According to agency sources Bloombergit had to stop its movement northwest of Aruba due to the presence of the US Navy destroyer ship USS Stockdale.
On the islands of the Mochima National Park, publicly accessible satellite images show a significant concentration of tankers that have maintained their position for a month
Until November 17th SeaHorse He was circling the area, when he quickly regained course towards the vicinity of the Jose petrochemical plant, where he arrived on November 23.
However, Transparency Venezuela detected that the SeaHorse It never docked at the José terminal or any other of the eastern ports, remaining until November 29 east of La Borracha Island, 11 km from Puerto La Cruz, when it began its journey again.
In that area of islands of the Mochima national park, publicly accessible satellite images show a significant concentration of tankers that have maintained their position for a month, as is the case of the also sanctioned Panamanian ship Warrior King and others not identified by automated tracking systems (AIS), reports Transparencia Venezuela.
He SeaHorse It is owned by the company Fist Management LTD and operated by the shipping company Lidoil DMCC, both based in the United Arab Emirates.
This ship, flying the flag of the Comoros Islands, is authorized to transport up to half a million barrels of crude oil. According to unofficial reports, it brought its warehouses half loaded with gasoline or petroleum diluents from Cuba.
In all monitoring “at least 13 illicit crude oil or STS transfer operations have been observed between dark, furtive and sanctioned vesselswhile in October six were detected. All of these cases occurred in the maritime area of Caquetíos, near Amuay Bay,” Transparencia Venezuela reported.
