By Weilun Soon (Bloomberg) — Tankers have started to unload Venezuelan crude oil at Caribbean islands, signaling a shift in trade practices after the US took control over Venezuela's oil industry.

Over the weekend, two ships delivered approximately 2.5 million barrels of Venezuela's Merey crude to storage tanks in Saint Lucia and Curacao, which are key stops for further exports. More tankers are expected to bring additional oil to various locations, including the Bahamas, in the coming days.

The Trump administration enlisted major trading companies like Trafigura Group and Vitol Group to help sell Venezuelan crude, while also encouraging US companies to invest in reviving the struggling oil sector. This intervention is causing significant changes in the shipping market, with freight rates increasing for certain routes.

Some so-called dark fleet tankers carrying Venezuelan oil have activated their transponders as they prepare to unload, while previously inactive ships are now rejoining the trade.

The Volans, an Aframax tanker that is under US and UK sanctions, discharged about 600,000 barrels at Curacao on January 17, according to ship-tracking data. This location also hosts the Bullen Bay storage facility, and the ship was transporting a cargo for Vitol, as reported by Bloomberg last week.