December 3, 2019

OFAC blocks vessels connected with Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba

The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Department of the Treasury has identified seven vessels as blocked property.  Six vessels are blocked pursuant to Executive Order 13884, as belonging to Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), a Venezuelan government-controlled entity designated by OFAC in January 2019.  The seventh vessel, the Esperanza, was formerly listed and appeared on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List as the Nedas, and is blocked because it is the property of Caroil Transport Marine Ltd., which was designated in September 2019 pursuant to Executive Order 13850.  According to OFAC, the blocked oil tankers – the Icaro, the Luisa Caceres de Arismendi, the Paramoconi, the Manuela Saenz, the Yare and the Terepaima – have all recently delivered Venezuelan petroleum products to Cuba.

The names of the blocked vessels have been added to the SDN list.  US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with blocked property or blocked or designated persons.

US Dept. of the Treasury press release