Three ageing VLCCs, an FSO and feeder ships: How Venezuela moved one fuel cargo into Asia

Shipping data and satellite imagery has shone light on how Venezuela avoids sanctions on its oil exports.

Oil analytics company Kpler tracked a high sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) cargo that involved feeder vessels, three elderly VLCCs, a storage ship and a sanctioned operator, as a complex chain of events saw the barrels moved into Asia.

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“Efforts to circumvent sanctions on Venezuelan oil are growing increasingly elaborate, demanding advanced tracking methods to penetrate layers of obfuscation,” the company said.