The tanker Hyperion became the first vessel to risk violating the new naval blockade announced by Donald Trump. The ship has already arrived at Venezuela's largest oil refinery in the port of Amuay, and now the main intrigue is whether the crew will dare to go back into the open sea, where it could be seized by the American military. This is reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.
Details
Hyperion brought special raw materials (diluents) from Russian Murmansk, without which Venezuela cannot process its heavy oil. Trump ordered the US Navy to detain all sanctioned tankers to cut off revenue for the Nicolas Maduro regime.
Last week, the Americans already seized one large tanker, Skipper, so the owners of Hyperion are now trapped: leaving Venezuelan waters means an almost guaranteed arrest of the vessel.
Who the blockade does not affect
Despite loud statements about a "complete blockade," the American company Chevron continues to export Venezuelan oil without any hindrance. In the last 24 hours alone, two vessels with a million barrels on board received a "green light" to leave the port and set off for the United States. The company explains that their work is absolutely legal, as they have special permits from the American government, unlike the "shadow fleet," which includes Hyperion.