Archive · 25 Jan 2026
Venezuelan Tanker Heads to Louisiana
A big ship called the Gloria Maris left Venezuela on Sunday.
It's going to Louisiana in the United States.
The ship is carrying a lot of heavy oil called Merey crude.
This is the first time a ship has gone directly from Venezuela to the U.S. with oil as part of a big deal.
Two companies, Trafigura and Vitol, got special permission to do this.
They have already sent about 10 to 11 million barrels of oil.
Another smaller ship, the Volans, also left Venezuela on Sunday.
It's going to a place called Curacao with less oil.
The big deal is for 50 million barrels of oil.
The Liberia-flagged tanker Gloria Maris departed from Venezuela's Jose port to Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) on Sunday.
The tanker is carrying 1 million barrels of Venezuela's Merey heavy crude as part of a 50-million-barrel supply deal between Caracas and Washington.
This is the first direct shipment from Venezuela to a U.S. port under the deal, according to shipping data and documents.
A smaller tanker, the Barbados-flagged Volans, also departed from Jose on Sunday carrying 450,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude to the Bullen Bay terminal in Curacao.
Traders have shipped between 10 million and 11 million barrels of Venezuelan oil so far under the deal and are preparing to export fuel oil as well.
- Who
- Trafigura, Vitol, Venezuelan and U.S. governments
- What
- A Venezuelan heavy oil tanker is heading to Louisiana as part of a 50-million-barrel supply deal between Caracas and Washington.
- When
- The tanker departed on Sunday.
- Where
- From Venezuela's Jose port to Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP).
- Why
- As part of a supply deal agreed this month between Caracas and Washington.
- Tanker Name
- Gloria Maris
- Flag
- Liberia
- Cargo
- 1 million barrels of Merey heavy crude
- Destination
- Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP)
- Departure Port
- Jose, Venezuela
- Second Tanker
- Volans
- Second Tanker Cargo
- 450,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude
- Second Tanker Destination
- Bullen Bay terminal in Curacao
- Total Exported So Far
- 10 million to 11 million barrels
- Deal Size
- 50 million barrels