China-flagged Supertankers U-Turn from Venezuela Amid US Sanctions

• Two China-flagged supertankers, Xingye and Thousand Sunny, reversed course from Venezuela.
• The vessels were en route to pick up crude cargoes for debt payment to China.
• The U-turn follows US sanctions and an ongoing oil embargo on Venezuela.
• China, Venezuela's primary oil market, hasn't received cargoes since last month.
• The supertankers are part of a fleet dedicated to the Venezuela-China crude route for debt service.

Why It Matters: US sanctions forced Chinese supertankers to abandon Venezuelan crude pickups, impacting debt payments.