Adds third tanker in paragraph 5
Three cargoes of Venezuelan crude heading across the Atlantic are signalling for Sarroch in Italy, plus Cartagena and Bilbao in Spain, according to Argus tracking.
Suezmax Poliegos updated its destination overnight to trading firm Vitol's 300,000 b/d Sarroch refinery in Italy, where it is scheduled to arrive on 17 February. It is carrying around 1mn bl of Venezuelan crude, loaded at the country's Jose terminal.
Vitol has been approved by the US government to market Venezuelan crude.
Sarroch was the most recent Mediterranean destination for Venezuela crude, in March-April 2025, ahead of tighter US sanctions on Caracas that halted supplies.
Another 1mn bl on Suezmax Nissos Koufonissi updated its destination and is heading for the southeastern Spanish port of Cartagena, where Repsol operates a 220,000 b/d refinery. It is slated to arrive on 19 February.
Suezmax Folegandros was already signalling arrival on 15 February at the Spanish Atlantic port of Bilbao, where integrated Repsol has a 220,000 b/d refinery. Repsol would not comment on the matter.
According to workers connected to the refinery, the cargo is a spot purchase and not part of a crude-for-debt swap scheme that Repsol ran with Venezuela's state-owned PdV. Under that scheme Spain received 55,000 b/d of Venezuelan crude in 2024, all of which went to Repsol's refineries at Bilbao, Cartagena and La Coruna. This fell to 15,000 b/d last year, after sanctions tightened.
None of the tankers' destinations are confirmed, and they could yet divert.
