The U.S. government declassified images of the confiscation of another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela this Saturday.
“In an action before dawn this morning, December 20th, the United States Coast Guard, with the support of the Department of Defense, intercepted a tanker that had last docked in Venezuela,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on X.
“The United States will continue to pursue the illicit trafficking of authorized oil that is used to fund narco-terrorism in the region. We will find them and we will stop them,” he added.
Noem thanked the "brave men and women of the Coast Guard and the Department of War."
The seizure of the vessel was confirmed this Saturday to Reuters by three U.S. officials on condition of anonymity.
The action occurred days after President Donald Trump announced a "total and complete blockade" against "all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela."
Reuters states that this would be the second seizure of an oil tanker near Venezuela in recent weeks and occurs amidst 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 reported 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 oil tanker, there has been an “effective embargo,” with ships loaded with millions of barrels of oil remaining in Venezuelan waters to avoid the risk of being confiscated; and that, following that initial action, exports of Venezuelan crude have reportedly plummeted.
In the context of crude oil transportation, Reuters explained that while many ships picking up oil in Venezuela are sanctioned, there are others—some of which transport crude linked to Iran or Russia—that are not. It noted that companies like the American Chemron transport Venezuelan oil in their own "authorized" vessels.
The report also notes that China is the largest buyer of Venezuelan crude oil and cites analysts' estimates on 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 tankers that disguise their location, and that this type of fleet is considered vulnerable 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 increased military presence and actions against ships near Venezuela; and mentions that Maduro has claimed that the U.S. deployment aims to overthrow him and take control of the country's oil resources.
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