A Venezuela-owned tanker in March sailed to a remote spot in the Indian Ocean and met an Iran-flagged vessel, took on a cargo of Iranian condensate and sailed home, according to monitoring services and shipping documents.
The ship-to-ship transfer off The Maldives was the latest tactic by the two countries to keep their oil flowing to markets despite U.S. sanctions. The widening energy cooperation between the nations is helping cash-scrapped Venezuela obtain supplies to convert its extraheavy oil and boost exports.
Two Iranian very large crude carriers (VLCC) were in Venezuelan waters discharging imported condensate and crude for state-owned oil company PDVSA this month, as Iran’s oil minister Javad Owji met in Caracas with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
