Marianna Parraga Powder
HOUSTON, Feb 25 (Reuters) – A shipment of 655,000 barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude, chartered by a unit of Italy’s Eni, left a port operated by state oil company PDVSA, Venezuela’s top export to Europe After a three-month break, shipping data showed Friday.
Eni and Spain’s Repsol received permits from the United States last year to bring Venezuelan oil to Europe as compensation for unpaid debts, an exception to sanctions imposed by Washington on the Venezuelan oil industry.
But shipments were intermittently allocated last year. And so far in 2023, most Venezuelan crude exports have been halted by a sweeping audit ordered by new PDVSA boss Pedro Tellechea, who is revising contract terms to prevent a series of payment failures. from some customers.
The Greek-flagged Aframax Minerva Alexandra tanker, which arrived in Venezuelan waters in early February, loaded some 315,000 barrels of Boscán crude and 340,000 barrels of diluted crude, according to internal PDVSA shipping documents and data. by Refinitiv Eikon.
PDVSA and Eni did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The vessel is heading to the Repsol refinery in Cartagena, according to documents and data, a Spanish facility that has processed Venezuelan heavy crudes in the past.
Eni received two shipments of diluted Venezuelan crude between June and July 2022 and two more shipments in November, according to PDVSA documents. Oil helped Italy and Spain ease specific crude shortages after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions.
Another energy company authorized by Washington to receive and export Venezuelan oil, Chevron Corp, is on track to ship more than 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) to the United States under a US license issued in November. (Reporting by Marianna Párraga in Houston. Additional reporting by Francesca Landini in Milan.)