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The United States seized the oil tanker Olina in an operation carried out “in coordination with the Provisional Authorities of Venezuela,” according to President Donald J. Trump on Truth Social.
In his message, Trump stated that the ship had left Venezuela “without our approval”, that it is returning to Venezuela, and that the oil will be sold through the “great Energy Agreement” established by his administration for those sales.
The seizure of the Olina took place in the early morning and was carried out by U.S. Marines and sailors as part of Washington's renewed offensive against the so-called “ghost fleet” associated with Venezuelan oil exports under sanctions.
According to the U.S. Southern Command, the interdiction was carried out "without incident" by the Southern Spear Joint Task Force, launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, according to the text.
The institution released images of a helicopter descending onto the ship's deck while the marines conducted a visual inspection.
The operation against the Olina marks the fifth action of this kind in recent weeks targeting vessels linked to the transportation of Venezuelan oil, and the tanker was intercepted in the Caribbean near Trinidad, according to a U.S. official and a source from the shipping industry.
Regarding the ship's history, the document states that the Olina had previously operated under the name Minerva M and had been under sanctions since January of the previous year for being identified as part of networks of vessels used to evade restrictions.
It also points out that, according to the public maritime database Equasis, the ship was falsely flying the flag of Timor Leste.
The ship's AIS tracker had been inactive for over 50 days, and its last recorded location was within Venezuela's exclusive economic zone, northeast of Curaçao, according to Reuters.
Additionally, it is reported that the Olina was part of a fleet of at least dozen vessels that began to turn back towards Venezuelan waters following the intensification of the American campaign.
The seizure is part of the Trump administration's policy to implement a stricter control over the distribution of Venezuelan oil following recent political events in the country and the tightening of sanctions.
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