December 18 (Reuters) – Venezuela has given permission for two very large crude carriers (VLCCs) to head to China, according to sources familiar with the country's oil exports. This marks the second and third supertankers to leave Venezuela since the U.S. seized a ship carrying Venezuelan oil last week.

The U.S. has stated that it will not allow sanctioned vessels to depart from Venezuelan waters. However, the tankers, each carrying around 1.9 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey heavy crude as per internal PDVSA documents, are not currently on the U.S. sanctions list.

One of the tankers had already set sail from Venezuela's main oil port of Jose, where many loaded ships have been waiting for instructions to leave since the U.S. seizure, as noted by TankerTrackers.com after reviewing satellite images from Thursday.

Both tankers have been involved in transporting Venezuelan oil in recent years, according to the internal documents from PDVSA.

Many ships that provide false location data to hide their actual position while transporting oil from Iran, Russia, or Venezuela are not under U.S. sanctions. However, they are part of what is known as the “shadow fleet,” which typically operates outside the regulations set by Western insurers and maritime service providers.

Shipping analysts indicate that the shadow fleet could face potential U.S. punitive measures. In regards to Venezuela, Washington has stated that it is focusing on vessels under U.S. sanctions as part of a “blockade” announced by President Donald Trump this week.

Among 75 oil tankers currently in Venezuela, approximately 38 belong to the “shadow fleet” and typically deactivate their transponders to conceal their locations. Data from TankerTrackers.com indicates that at least 15 of these sanctioned vessels are currently loaded with crude and fuel.

On Wednesday, PDVSA resumed loading crude and fuel cargoes, which had been paused due to a cyberattack on Sunday. However, most exports remain halted because of the U.S. blockade threat.

“The blockade announcement caught the company by surprise,” said a PDVSA source who wished to remain anonymous. “We've had several meetings with customers since then, and most are willing to take their cargoes if they can be assured that unsanctioned vessels will not be targeted.”

Since the U.S. ship seizure, Venezuela’s crude exports have significantly dropped from over 900,000 barrels per day in November.

Meanwhile, U.S. oil company Chevron, which is still allowed to transport Venezuelan crude under a U.S. authorization, exported a cargo on Thursday bound for the U.S., according to data from LSEG.

Chevron reported this week that its operations in Venezuela are continuing without interruption, although it provided no specific details. In response to Trump's blockade, the Venezuelan government described it as a “grotesque threat,” claiming it breaches international law, free commerce, and the right to free navigation.