Tag: Venezuela

An oily substance in the form of lumps of black tar has been found on an extensive area of Brazil’s North Eastern coast, as reported by Proinde, club correspondents. The Brazilian Navy’s Integrated Maritime Safety Centre is carrying out an investigation on the maritime traffic in the area comprising of about 36,000 square nautical miles in Brazil’s exclusive economic zone, targeting mostly oil tankers.

The US Department of Treasury blacklisted four vessels and four companies for reportedly helping Venezuela's petroleum export sector and in the delivery of the oil to Cuban buyers. OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by US persons or within the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked or designated persons.

The International Group of P&I Clubs issued a circular providing an update on the US sanctions on the government of Venezuela and Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA). On 5 August 2019, the US increased its sanctions programme against Venezuela, with the Executive Order 13884. 

On 5th August, President Trump issued Executive Order 13884, reinforcing sanctions against Venezuela. The order targets the government of Venezuela and blocks all its assets and property in the US, while prohibiting the Venezuelan government to use the US financial system.

The US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced it has de-listed Italian company PB Tankers from its sanction list. OFAC had designated the company on 12 April, for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy. 

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) issued an advisory informing that the US has designated Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA) as a Specially Designated National and Blocked Person (SDN) and therefore RMI will be unable to provide services to vessels linked to PdVSA.

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated two companies that operate in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy, pursuant to E.O. 13850, as amended. OFAC has also identified two vessels, which transported oil from Venezuela to Cuba, as blocked property owned by the two companies. 

The US will send a hospital ship to assist in the refugee crisis resulting from instability in Venezuela. Namely, at the annual Washington Conference on the Americas at the State Department, Vice President Mike Pence announced the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort will deploy to the US Southern Command area of operations next month.

Italy's PB Tankers commented on OFAC's decision to blacklist nine ships and four companies for breaching Venezuelan sanctions. The company stated that it's shocked and concerned in OFAC's action, in adding the company and a number of the company’s vessels to the current sanctions list in relation to trade with Venezuela. The company said in a release yesterday it will be taking immediate steps to ensure that it is delisted as a matter of urgency.

The US announced that it has designated a further nine vessels and four owning companies for involvement in the carriage of petroleum cargoes from Venezuela to Cuba. These sanctions cone a few days after the US blacklisted two shipping firms and their vessel for allegedly transporting oil from Venezuela to Cuba.