Ndros Iranian vessel arrived at the Venezuelan coast and is expected to load crude as ties between the two countries sanctioned by the US get deeper, Bloomberg reported.

Ndros crude tanker have been booked by the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) to load it with 1.9m bbl of oil.

The vessel, which is owned by New Shipping Ltd-LIB, came to Venezuelan port of Jose under a Palau flag, the report says.

However, it is claimed that the ship has been booked by NIOC, which is listed as a client in the transaction, while Venezuelan state-owned company PdVSA is designated as a shipper.

According to Bloomberg, the ship’s transponder was turned off on Friday when it arrived at Jose – a practice commonly used by vessels trying to avoid detection.

The United States has targeted both states with a bevy of sanctions in the past, only prompting further cooperation in the oil sector between the two states. Tehran has been subject to a US economic and arms embargo, and Washington has been punishing companies that do business with Iran.

In Venezuela, the United States has imposed several rounds of sanctions targeting the country’s oil and gas sector in an attempt to facilitate the departure of President Nicolás Maduro in support of the head of the National Assembly Juan Guaidó, who in January 2019 proclaimed himself acting president of Venezuela.

Source: Agencies