According to a shipping document seen by Reuters on Monday, the Iran-flagged tanker carrying about 1 million barrels of crude arrived in Venezuelan waters over the weekend.
The cargo is the third of Iranian crude supplied by Iran's Naftiran Intertrade Co (NICO) to Venezuela's state-run oil firm PDVSA following a supply contract providing the South American nation with lighter crude. Venezuela has been processing Iranian oil in its refineries.
The Suezmax tanker Sonia I, which departed from Iran's Kharg Island port in early May, touched waters close to Venezuela's Amuay refinery on Saturday, according to official notice of its arrival and Refinitiv Eikon vessel data.
Other two Iran-flagged tankers, the very large crude carriers (VLCCs) Dino I and Silvia I, had arrived last month at Venezuelan ports carrying the first cargoes of Iranian crude for Venezuela. They later loaded Venezuelan heavy oil and fuel for Iran in exchange, according to the tracking data and PDVSA's schedules.
On Saturday, Iran and Venezuela signed a 20-year cooperation plan in Tehran.
ZZ/PR