Venezuelan oil shipments surge to US ports with heavy crude after Maduro capture
Venezuelan crude oil is being shipped to the U.S. at speed and in bulk following the arrest of former President Nicolás Maduro, according to a maritime intelligence analyst.As many as...
By Fox News · Fox News
Venezuelan crude oil is being shipped to the U.S. at speed and in bulk following the arrest of former President Nicolás Maduro, according to a maritime intelligence analyst. As many as "15 very large crude carrier shipments" carrying 50 million barrels will end up en route, said Michelle Wiese Bockmann, senior maritime intelligence analyst at Windward , which has tracked oil tanker movements around the troubled region for months. "The moves overnight that were announced to sell about 30 to 50 million barrels of oil," Wiese Bockmann said at a press conference. "That’s equivalent to about 15 very large crude carrier shipments," the analyst added. TRUMP'S MADURO TAKEDOWN RESETS THE GLOBAL CHESSBOARD AND REASSERTS AMERICAN POWER The rapid surge in shipments comes days after President Donald Trump announced that Venezuela would move between 30 million and 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the U.S., worth roughly $2.8 billion at current prices. Trump said Tuesday the oil would be sold at market value and that he would control the proceeds to ensure they are "used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!" Windward maritime intelligence data indicates massive oil flows are already materializing, according to Wiese Bockmann. "And just for comparison, over December, using our commodities tracking partners, Vortex, about 47 million barrels of crude and containers were shipped from Venezuela," she noted. "They're going to be taken by storage ships to the U.S.," Wiese Bockmann added. According to the analyst, U.S. infrastructure is well-prepared to handle the influx. TRUMP UNLEASHES THE 'DONROE DOCTRINE' AND PUTS SOCIALISTS ON NOTICE WORLDWIDE "U.S. refineries have been configured for Venezuela's heavy crude," she said, adding that "we're already very quickly seeing some action there." Windward tracking data shows increasing tanker activity tied to Western operators, with four Western-linked tankers being tracked sailing for Venezuela, she said, as well a…