US Blockade Affects Venezuelan Maritime Transport: VP Rodriguez

On Thursday, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez held a meeting with the Secretary of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez Velasco, in London.

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During the meeting, she stated that 39 ships belonging to the state-owned Petrolium of Venezuela (PDVSA) and 30 merchant vessels remain affected by the U.S. sanctions.

"This blockade is aimed at strangling Venezuela, which is the world's fourth country with the highest number of sanctioned vessels," Rodriguez said and highlighted some consequences of the economic blockade against her country.

"Between 2015 and 2022, the country lost almost 4 billion barrels of oil production, which is equivalent to a decrease in income of about US$323 billion. When calculating the total losses to economic activity in Venezuela, however, the impact reaches US$642 billion."

The U.S. and its allies have attempted to economically strangle Venezuela with over 900 restrictive measures that are still in effect. Their consequences also impact low-income countries such as Haiti, which used to receive Venezuelan fuel on advantageous terms through the Petrocaribe program.

"In addition to being an international outcry, the lifting of the blockade against Venezuela is a right of our people," said Rodriguez from London.

The Venezuelan VP and Dominguez Velasco discussed the current situation of maritime transport and the influence of global climate change on international trade.

To illustrate the latter, Rodriguez pointed out that the lack of rain and the El Niño phenomenon have affected 30 percent of the traffic through the Panama Canal.

They also addressed the negative environmental impact of oil extraction activities in the maritime zone that has not yet been delimited in the Guayana Esequiba.