The US has seized a sixth tanker in the Caribbean Sea in its ongoing efforts to control exports of Venezuelan oil, officials say. The vessel, Veronica, was boarded in a predawn operation without incident as it was defying President Donald Trump's quarantine of sanctioned vessels, said the US military. The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully, the Southern Command said. Since the US military strikes on Venezuela and seizure of its president Nicolás Maduro this month, Trump has said he plans to tap into the country's huge oil reserves.
The Veronica is the latest tanker operating in defiance of President Trump's established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, US Southern Command said in a post on social media. It also posted a video showing Marines and sailors boarding the tanker. Veronica, a crude oil tanker sailing under a Guyanese flag, departed empty from Venezuelan waters in early January, according to monitoring service TankerTrackers.com. The International Maritime Organization's database shows the vessel was previously registered in Russia under different names.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on social media that Thursday's tanker seizure was carried out with close coordination with our colleagues in the military as well as the state and justice departments. Our heroic Coast Guard men and women once again ensured a flawlessly executed operation, in accordance with international law, Noem added.
It suggests Washington's crackdown on the so-called dark fleet, comprising more than 1,000 vessels that transport sanctioned oil, will continue as the US works with Venezuela's interim government to control the country's oil sales. The latest tanker seizure came just hours ahead of a meeting between Trump and Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the White House. Trump has previously described her as a freedom fighter, but rejected the notion of appointing her to lead Venezuela after Maduro's removal, arguing that she lacks sufficient domestic backing. He instead backed Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice-president.
On Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the $500m energy deal was struck in large part because of help from Rodriguez. She said the interim president had also confirmed that Venezuela would be releasing political prisoners from Venezuela. There were five Americans who were recently released this week as well, Leavitt said. So, the president likes what he's seeing. And we'll expect that cooperation to continue.\
The Veronica is the latest tanker operating in defiance of President Trump's established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, US Southern Command said in a post on social media. It also posted a video showing Marines and sailors boarding the tanker. Veronica, a crude oil tanker sailing under a Guyanese flag, departed empty from Venezuelan waters in early January, according to monitoring service TankerTrackers.com. The International Maritime Organization's database shows the vessel was previously registered in Russia under different names.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on social media that Thursday's tanker seizure was carried out with close coordination with our colleagues in the military as well as the state and justice departments. Our heroic Coast Guard men and women once again ensured a flawlessly executed operation, in accordance with international law, Noem added.
It suggests Washington's crackdown on the so-called dark fleet, comprising more than 1,000 vessels that transport sanctioned oil, will continue as the US works with Venezuela's interim government to control the country's oil sales. The latest tanker seizure came just hours ahead of a meeting between Trump and Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the White House. Trump has previously described her as a freedom fighter, but rejected the notion of appointing her to lead Venezuela after Maduro's removal, arguing that she lacks sufficient domestic backing. He instead backed Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice-president.
On Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the $500m energy deal was struck in large part because of help from Rodriguez. She said the interim president had also confirmed that Venezuela would be releasing political prisoners from Venezuela. There were five Americans who were recently released this week as well, Leavitt said. So, the president likes what he's seeing. And we'll expect that cooperation to continue.\
