Sanctioned Ship Hyperion May Test Trump’s Venezuela Blockade
(Bloomberg) -- The tanker Hyperion, sanctioned by the US for having shipped Russian oil, may be the first ship to test President Donald Trump’s naval blockade of Venezuela.
The vessel recently arrived in Amuay, home to Venezuela’s largest refining complex, according to vessel movements tracked by Bloomberg.
It loaded supplies in Murmansk, Russia, at the end of November, the data show.
The Barbados-flagged vessel was sanctioned by the US Treasury in January. The US says it is part of a fleet of so-called ghost vessels used to prop up Russia’s energy sector by moving crude and petroleum products in ships that sail undetected because they often turn off and spoof transponder signals.
Russia, a long-time ally of Venezuela, supplies the country with diluents, a petroleum feedstock used to help dilute tar-like Venezuelan oil to make refinery-ready oil.
This week, Trump said that US forces would carry out a total blockade of sanctioned oil tankers into and out of Venezuela, as he tries to deprive President Nicolás Maduro of oil revenues as part of plan to oust him. When he made the announcement, the Hyperion was near Grenada, approaching Venezuela’s coast. It entered Venezuelan waters on Thursday night.
After discharging, it’s unclear if the ship will leave port or stay in Venezuelan waters to avoid been boarded by US forces, causing large losses for the owner. Last week, the US military seized the supertanker Skipper, which is currently off the coast of Mexico as it approaches the US.
Trump said he doesn’t rule out a war with Venezuela, NBC reported on Friday, citing a phone interview with the president. When asked if US military strikes could lead to a war, he said “I don’t discuss it.”
Meanwhile, Chevron Corp’s exports of Venezuelan oil are proceeding unhindered, as two ships were greenlit to leave port Friday after loading nearly 1 million barrels of oil, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The unsanctioned ships Minerva Astra and the Searuby are setting sail for delivery at US ports, said the person, who asked not to be named because the information is private. The oil major has another tanker lined up to load in coming days.
“Chevron’s operations in Venezuela continue without disruption and in full compliance with laws and regulations applicable to its business, as well as the sanctions frameworks provided for by the US government,” the Houston-based company said, in response to written questions.
(Updates with Trump’s NBC interview in paragraph 8 and another tanker loading in paragraph 9.)
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