INEA'S REGULATIONS FOR STS OPERATIONS IN VENEZUELAN WATERS
Administrative order No. 333 dated 27 April 2020 enacted by the National Institute of Aquatic Spaces (INEA) regulates the Ship-to-Ship transfer operations, also known as STS operations, of oil and related products in Venezuelan jurisdictional waters, including conceptual definitions and setting up the conditions, procedural steps as well as general security provisions that must be followed during the operations referred to. As required by the order, these operations can only be carried out by tanker ships over 150 GT (Art. 1). Nevertheless, the new regulations do not apply to the transfer of hydrocarbons related to fixed or floating platforms and other offshore installations, bunkering, ships engaged in search and rescue as well as prevention/cleaning up of pollution and Navy ships (Art 3).
