A Liberia-flagged tanker, Gloria Maris, loaded with Venezuelan heavy crude, has departed from the Jose oil terminal in Venezuela bound for the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) under a newly agreed supply arrangement between Caracas and Washington, according to shipping data and LSEG vessel tracking documents. This movement marks the first direct Venezuelan crude shipment to a U.S. port under the current 50-million-barrel supply deal.
The tanker is carrying approximately 1 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey heavy crude and is chartered by trading house Trafigura. Trafigura, along with Vitol, received U.S. licenses earlier this month to load and export Venezuelan oil under the bilateral agreement.
This direct shipment to LOOP is a notable shift in trading patterns, as earlier cargoes under the arrangement were moved first to Caribbean storage terminals before onward sale or delivery. Another tanker, the Barbados-flagged Volans, was also reported departing Jose on the same day with about 450,000 barrels of crude bound for Curacao as part of the same supply framework.
Maritime and market context
The United States and Venezuela recently agreed to a 50-million-barrel supply deal that opened licensed avenues for crude exports after a period of sanctions and reduced trade. Under the arrangement, major trading houses were authorized to move Venezuelan crude to global markets, including the U.S. Gulf Coast and Europe — a significant development after years of constrained exports.
For maritime operators, this direct voyage represents a notable reopening of trans-Caribbean crude movements, potentially affecting tanker demand patterns in the region. LOOP remains a critical deepwater terminal for heavy crude deliveries into U.S. Gulf Coast refining complexes.
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