US Targets Another Foreign Oil Vessel

By Staff, Agencies

The United States has seized another foreign‑flagged crude tanker in the Caribbean suspected of carrying Venezuelan oil in violation of sanctions, American military officials said.

The seizure comes as US President Donald Trump seeks to tighten control over Venezuela’s oil exports following the January 3 raid that abducted the South American nation’s president, Nicolas Maduro.

The US military and Coast Guard have taken five vessels in recent weeks in international waters, including the Russian-flagged Marinera northwest of Scotland.

Moscow has condemned the seizure of the oil tanker as a violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

On Thursday, US Southern Command said the Guyana-flagged tanker Veronica was boarded in a pre-dawn operation for violating Trump-era Venezuela sanctions.

The post was accompanied by grainy black and white aerial footage that appeared to show troops descending onto the tanker’s deck from a helicopter.

The Southern Command did not give the precise location of the boarding. Ship tracking data indicates that the 815 foot [249 meter] Veronica was last recorded about 12 days earlier off the Venezuelan coast.

“The Department of War is unwavering in its mission to crush illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere,” Southern Command stated, adding that the seizure was part of Operation Southern Spear.

Reuters says the US Justice Department has filed secret civil forfeiture actions seeking warrants to seize dozens more tankers suspected of sanction‑evasion linked to Venezuela, Iran, and Russia as part of a broader effort to control crude shipments.

After Maduro’s kidnapping, Trump said Washington would “run” Venezuela and needs “total access… to the oil,” and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the US plans to control Venezuela’s oil sales indefinitely.

The US actions drew international condemnation, with Russia calling Maduro’s capture and the tanker seizures blatant violations of international law and reaffirming solidarity with Venezuela’s sovereignty.