First two Venezuelan oil cargoes by Chevron after license depart to US

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(Reuters) -The first two cargoes of Venezuelan oil exported by energy major Chevron after it received a fresh U.S. authorization to operate in the country last month have set sail for the United States, vessel monitoring data showed on Friday.

The U.S. Treasury Department granted Chevron a new license in late July allowing it to operate in the sanctioned South American country and export its oil, a policy shift from more strict rules the Trump administration had imposed earlier this year.

The Chevron-chartered tankers MediterraneanVoyager and Canopus Voyager departed from Venezuelan waters on Friday carrying cargoes of Hamaca and Boscan heavy crudes to U.S. refineries, according to LSEG data and exports records from state company PDVSA.

One of the vessels was heading to the U.S. West Coast, while the other was navigating to Port Arthur, Texas, with estimated date of arrival next week, the data showed.

Chevron is separately negotiating the reactivation of a supply agreement with Valero Energy that could give the U.S. refiner a portion of Chevron’s entitled cargoes of Venezuelan crudes, which are popular among U.S. Gulf refiners, sources have said.

Chevron has said it conducts its business globally in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, as well as the U.S. sanctions frameworks. The company’s chief executive, Mike Wirth, earlier this month said exports from Venezuela would resume in small volumes.

Chevron exported some 252,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Venezuelan oil to the U.S. in the first quarter, about 29% of the OPEC country’s total.

(Reporting by Marianna Parraga; Editing by Andrea Ricci)