Venezuela has shipped another 30,000 metric tons (t) of fertilizer, likely urea, to the US, US charge d'affaires in Caracas John Barrett said.
The fertilizer was shipped by Venezuelan state-owned firm Pequiven through XTS Commodities, a subsidiary of Xtellus Partners, Barrett said in a social media post.
"This cargo will contribute to the supply of key materials for North American agriculture," Barrett said. "We continue to strengthen bilateral commerce and the economic recovery of Venezuela."
The embassy did not respond to a question on the type of fertilizer, but a source with Venezuela's natural gas industry said that the shipment was urea.
The embassy posted a photo of the Annaliese, a dry bulk vessel that loaded about 30,000t of urea at Pequiven's nitrogen plant in Anzoategui state in Venezuela, according to vessel tracking firm Kpler.
That is Pequiven's only facility capable of manufacturing that quantity of fertilizer, the source said. The plant was previously owned by US firm Koch, but was nationalized in 2010 during the government of late former President Hugo Chavez.
The Annaliese would be the third Venezuelan urea vessel to bring urea to the US this year since the US authorized sanctions wavers for Venezuelan fertilizer in March.
Acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodriguez in July appointed to Pequiven's presidency Jose David Cabello, the brother of interior minister Diosdado Cabello who is still on a US wanted list.
The US embassy in Caracas and Pequiven declined to comment further.
