Ship tracking data revealed that a tanker under U.S. sanctions, carrying 300,000 barrels naphtha from Russia, entered Venezuelan waters on Thursday night, while another started re-routing course?into the Atlantic Ocean. This was a result of differing last-minute decisions made by ship owners, after 'President 'Donald Trump had ordered a 'blockade of oil tankers bound for Venezuela, which were subject to sanctions earlier in the week.

This move increased pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, by targeting Venezuela's primary source of income. It followed the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker near the Venezuelan coast earlier in December.

After a week-long pause, vessels that are not subject to the sanctions started sailing from Venezuelan waters on Wednesday. This helped drain the country's rising crude stockpiles.

According to LSEG's ship tracking data, the medium tanker Hyperion, which is flagged by Gambia and docked at Amuay Bay in Venezuela's west coast on Friday. It was loaded in Russia near Murmansk at the end of November.

The ship's sanctions profile is different from Skipper, the U.S.-seized tanker on December 10th.

According to David Tannenbaum of Blackstone Compliance Services, which specializes in anti-money laundering compliance and sanctions, the U.S. cannot seize vessels that are not under its jurisdiction or that aren't headed to or from the U.S. unless Washington has sanctioned them for their links with terrorist groups.

Skipper, previously called the Adisa was sanctioned for what the U.S. claims was its involvement in Iranian oil trade that generated revenue for Iranian groups it has designated as terrorist organizations.

The Hyperion was a way to reduce Russian energy revenues due to its conflict with Ukraine.

Washington cannot seize the Hyperion extraterritorially unless it can prove that it is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Tannenbaum worked previously with the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which administers and enforces trade and economic sanctions.

REDIRECTIONS AND U-TURNS

According to LSEG Ship Tracking, the Angola flagged Agate, a medium tanker that was under sanctions and loaded in Russia, but had been sailing towards the Caribbean, has been seen rerouting on Friday. The vessel was pointed towards Africa but had not yet indicated a new destination.

The Oman-flagged Garnet – also subject to sanctions and loaded in Russia – continued its journey, indicating the Caribbean as its final destination on Friday.

According to LSEG vessel tracking data, the Benin-flagged Boltaris tanker, which was under sanctions, and had about 300,000 barrels of Russian naphtha bound towards Venezuela, did a U turn earlier this month, and headed for Europe, without ever having discharged.

Sources familiar with Venezuelan oil export operations say that two very large 'crude carriers' not subject to sanctions left Venezuela on Thursday for China. These are only the second and third tankers to leave the country since the U.S. seize Skipper.

LSEG data revealed that the American oil giant, which had continued to ship Venezuelan Crude under a U.S. Authorization,?exported a cargo of crude on Thursday bound for America.

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State at the U.S. Department of State, said on Friday that the U.S. is not worried about the four ships that left Venezuela on Thursday.

"Sanctioned Boats, we have the capability necessary to enforce our law." Rubio stated that we will have a court order and that we would execute the orders.

Venezuelan government said that Trump's ban on the Caribbean Sea was a "grotesque" threat in a press release issued Tuesday. It claimed it violated international law, freedom of commerce, and the right to free navigation. Reporting by Arathy Psaledakis and Marianna Praga in Houston; Daphne Psaledakis and Rosalba o'Brien in Washington and Russia newsroom. Editing by Nathan Crooks and Chizu Nomiyama.

(source: Reuters)