The US Coast Guard is currently in “active pursuit” of another vessel located in international waters close to Venezuela as regional tensions persist.
This month, US officials have already confiscated two oil tankers – with one occurring on Saturday.
According to a US official, the search on Sunday pertains to a “sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is involved in Venezuela’s illicit sanctions evasion”. “It is sailing under a false flag and is subject to a judicial seizure order.”
The US has accused Venezuela of utilizing oil revenue to finance drug-related activities, whereas Venezuela has labeled the seizure of tankers as “theft and kidnapping”.
Last week, US President Donald Trump implemented a “blockade” on sanctioned oil tankers entering and departing the nation.
Venezuela, which possesses the largest proven oil reserves globally, has claimed that the Trump administration is attempting to appropriate its resources.
US officials have yet to officially validate the pursuit from Sunday, and details regarding the tanker’s location and identity remain unknown.
As of last week, over 30 of the 80 vessels in Venezuelan waters or nearing the country were under US sanctions, as per data from TankerTrackers.com.
On Saturday, a Panamanian-flagged tanker was boarded by a specialized tactical unit while in international waters.
Although this vessel is not listed among the US Treasury’s sanctioned vessels, the US stated it was transporting “sanctioned PDVSA oil”. Records accessed by BBC Verify indicate that the ship has also sailed under Greek and Liberian flags in the past five years.
In response to Saturday’s occurrence, the Venezuelan government stated, “These actions will not go unpunished.” It further expressed its intention to submit a complaint to the United Nations Security Council as well as “other multilateral organizations and the global community.”
Venezuela heavily relies on income from its oil exports to support its governmental expenditures.
Recently, the US has increased its military presence in the Caribbean Sea and has conducted fatal strikes on purported Venezuelan drug trafficking boats, resulting in approximately 100 fatalities.
Sanctions have also been imposed on some relatives of President Maduro and on enterprises linked to what the US designates his illegitimate regime.
On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed reporters: “It is evident that the status quo with the Venezuelan administration is unacceptable for the United States.”
He mentioned that the aim of the Trump administration is to alter that situation.
Venezuela’s foreign minister criticized his remarks, accusing Rubio of leading the US towards “regime changes”.
There has been no public evidence provided that these vessels were engaging in drug activity, and the military is facing growing scrutiny from Congress regarding the strikes.
The Trump administration has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of heading a designated-terrorist group known as Cartel de los Soles, which he refutes.
