ICBPS- A shipment of around 44 million liters of Iranian Gasoline has secretly arrived at El Palito, Venezuela from Iran aboard handysize tanker Forest.
In a Tweet, the Tanker Trackers said it had been monitoring the cargo carried by the Forest tanker for six weeks. “FOREST is the third tanker we were expecting after FORTUNE & FAXON,” said Tanker Trackers.
According to the report, the other two Iranian tankers, Foxon and Fortune containing Iranian Gasoline, also arrived in Venezuela.
BREAKING: A shipment of around 44 million liters of gasoline has secretly arrived at El Palito, Venezuela from Iran aboard handysize tanker FOREST. This is according to our 6 week long tracking investigation. FOREST is the 3rd tanker we were expecting after FORTUNE & FAXON. #OOTT
— TankerTrackers.com, Inc.⚓️? (@TankerTrackers) February 20, 2021
Other Iranian tankers are expected to arrive in Venezuela in the coming weeks.
In December, Bloomberg reported that 10 Iranian tankers carrying petroleum products (gasoline) had been dispatched to Venezuela to help the isolated state weather a crippling fuel shortage.
President Donald Trump’s administration had put sanctions on Tehran and its malicious ally Caracas as well as Washington seized two Iranian tankers, which contained millions of gasoline.
The Nicolas Maduro regime is widening its reliance on Iran as an ally of last resort after even Russia and China have avoided challenging the U.S. ban on trade with Venezuela. The country’s fuel crunch follows decades of mismanagement, corruption and under-investment at state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela since the time of Maduro’s late mentor and predecessor, Hugo Chavez.
In early October, an Iranian tanker carrying petrol has allegedly reached the Venezuelan coast. Iran shipped 820,000 barrels of Iranian Gasoline to Venezuela by three tankers in September.
The Iran-owned tanker Fortune is to unload its shipment after the prior one Forest reached the Venezuelan water on September 28, 2020.
In May, Iran also sent five tankers containing 1.5 million barrels — at least $45.5 million worth of gasoline and similar products.
Forest carrying fuel reportedly reached Venezuelan waters amid escalating tensions between Washington and the two U.S.-sanctioned countries.
The Forest tanker was one of the three vessels carrying Iranian oil to Venezuela. The tanker was spotted off the northern Venezuelan coast in Soosereh State, according to El Nacional. “The whereabouts of other two tankers are still unknown,” reported the state-run Venezuelan newspaper at the time.
The tankers were expected to reach the country’s northern oil facilities and El Palito Refinery, in Puerto Cabello in northern Carabobo state.
Islamic Republic Of Iran’s Economy In Free Fall
The rich-oil south American country faces a drastic shortage of petroleum products due to its frazzle and out-dated facilities.
“Iranian gasoline shipments to Venezuela are made in exchange for gold bars,” said IRGC Maj. Gen Yahya Rahim Safavi.
“We gave Venezuela gasoline and received gold bars, and we took the bars to Iran by plane, to avoid setbacks along the way,” El Nacional quoted the IRGC commander-in-chief.
“We help the Maduro regime to form a mobilization force to prepare to fight the United States,” Radio Farda quoted the IRGC top general.
The U.S. has recently beefed up its naval presence in the Caribbean for what it said was an expanded anti-drug operation.
“Venezuela has had no revenue from its oil industry since October 2019,” said the country’s speaker of parliament.
During the reign of Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela has faced a severe economic crisis, which, in addition to the bankruptcy of the oil industry, has led the country to a sharp devaluation of its national currency and rampant inflation.
According to the U.N. census, about five million people have fled the country in recent years due to economic difficulties, food and medicine shortages.