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The United States intercepted and seized a ship off the coast of Venezuela in international waters, during an operation led by the Coast Guard, three U.S. officials reported to Reuters on Saturday, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The action takes place days after President Donald Trump announced a "total and complete blockade" against "all sanctioned tankers entering and leaving Venezuela."
Reuters reports that this would be the second seizure of an oil tanker near Venezuela in recent weeks and that it occurs amid a significant U.S. military buildup in the region.
According to the cited officials, the exact location where the operation is taking place was not specified.
Reuters indicated that the Coast Guard and the Pentagon sent questions to the White House, which "did not immediately respond" to a request for comments.
The agency added that, since the first seizure of a sanctioned tanker, an “effective embargo” is said to have occurred, with ships laden with millions of barrels of oil remaining in Venezuelan waters to avoid being confiscated; and that, following that initial action, exports of Venezuelan crude are said to have declined drastically.
In the context of crude oil transportation, Reuters explained that, although many vessels collecting oil in Venezuela are sanctioned, there are others—some of which transport crude linked to Iran or Russia—that are not. It mentioned that companies like the American Chemical Chevron transport Venezuelan oil on their "authorized" ships.
The report also states that China is the largest buyer of Venezuelan crude and cites analysts' estimates regarding the volume of shipments in December.
Reuters also recalled that since the U.S. imposed energy sanctions on Venezuela in 2019, buyers and refiners have turned to a “ghost fleet” or “shadow fleet” of oil tankers that mask their location, and that this type of fleet is considered to be exposed to potential punitive measures from Washington.
Finally, the report frames the measure within a campaign of Trump's pressure on Nicolás Maduro, which would include a greater military presence and actions against ships near Venezuela; and mentions that Maduro has claimed that the U.S. deployment aims to overthrow him and gain control of the country's oil resources.
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced on Tuesday a total oil embargo against Venezuela and a tightening of deportations, in a message posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, where he directly accused Nicolás Maduro's regime of financing criminal activities with energy resources.
In his statement, Trump claimed that Venezuela is "completely surrounded" by military forces and warned that pressure will increase until the country returns to the United States "all the oil, land, and other assets" that he said were previously stolen.
The president once again described Maduro's government as an "illegitimate regime" and designated it as a foreign terrorist organization.
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