Data from vessel monitoring showed that the first two cargoes, of Venezuelan crude oil, exported by the energy giant Chevron following its renewed authorization to operate in Venezuela last month had departed for the United States.

Chevron was granted a new license by the U.S. Treasury Department in late July, which allows it to export oil and operate in the sanctioned South American nation. This is a shift in policy from the stricter rules that the Trump Administration had imposed in early this year.

According to LSEG export records and data from the state-owned PDVSA, the Chevron chartered tankers MediterraneanVoyager (left Venezuelan waters) and CanopusVoyager (left Venezuelan waters) left Venezuelan water on Friday with cargoes of Hamaca heavy crudes and Boscan light crudes bound for U.S. refining plants.

The data indicated that one vessel was headed to the U.S. West Coast and the other to Port Arthur, Texas. Its estimated arrival date is next week.

Chevron has separately begun negotiating with the government to reactivate a

Supply agreement

Sources have confirmed that Valero Energy and Chevron could work together to give U.S. refiners a share of the Venezuelan crudes Chevron is entitled to. These are highly sought after by refiners in the U.S. Gulf.

Chevron says it follows all applicable laws, regulations and U.S. sanction frameworks. Mike Wirth, the company's CEO, said earlier this month that exports from Venezuela will decrease.

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Small volumes

Chevron exports 252,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude oil per day to the U.S., which is about 29 percent of the total for the OPEC nation. (Reporting and editing by Andrea Ricci; Marianna Pararaga)

(source: Reuters)