Refiners bypass the middleman by locking in direct Venezuelan crude deals

PDVSA, Venezuela's oil ministry, Chevron, Phillips 66, Valero and Reliance did not reply to requests for comment. Tipco said the company has not completed any purchases yet.

The US Energy Department in May said Venezuela's overall oil sales were representing $2 billion to $3 billion per month, with about half of the volume bound for the US.

The department has listed units of TotalEnergies, Aramco, Chevron, Citgo Petroleum, Exxon Mobil, Marathon Petroleum, Pemex, PBF Energy, Phillips 66, Trafigura, Valero and Vitol as importers in the US this year, without elaborating on sale terms.