AMERICAN forces have seized a seventh oil tanker linked to Venezuela as President Donald Trump ramps up his campaign to choke off illicit crude exports from the country.
US Southern Command said the Motor Vessel Sagitta was boarded and taken under control “without incident” in the Caribbean after operating in defiance of Trump’s quarantine on sanctioned ships.
The military posted footage showing US Coast Guard and Navy vessels closing in on the tanker at sea as part of Operation Southern Spear, a joint effort launched to target so-called “dark fleet” ships moving Venezuelan oil.
“The apprehension of another tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean demonstrates our resolve to ensure that the only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully,” the command said.
Officials said the operation involved elite joint forces working alongside the Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department.
No shots were fired and no injuries were reported.
The Sagitta is a Liberian-flagged vessel owned and managed by a Hong Kong-based company, according to shipping records.
It last broadcast its location more than two months ago after leaving the Baltic Sea.
The tanker was previously sanctioned by the US Treasury under an order tied to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The seizure marks the latest escalation since Trump ordered a naval-style quarantine on January 9.
US forces have now taken control of seven tankers since December, most intercepted near Venezuelan waters.
One, the Bella 1, was captured in the North Atlantic after abruptly turning away from the Caribbean.
The administration argues the campaign has already crippled Venezuela’s oil trade, with analysts estimating more than 80 per cent of shipments have been halted.
Trump says the seizures are also helping to ease pressure on global energy markets.
“We’ve got millions of barrels of oil left,” Trump told reporters this week.
“We’re selling it on the open market.
“We’re bringing down oil prices incredibly.”
The crackdown comes as Venezuela reels from violent unrest following the US capture of former president Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
Armed pro-Maduro militias known as colectivos have set up roadblocks, stopped cars and searched phones for signs of US ties or support for Trump, according to US officials.
Washington has issued a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” warning and urged Americans still in Venezuela to leave immediately, citing the risk of wrongful detention, kidnapping and armed violence as the country remains under a state of emergency.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15813610/trump-seizes-oil-tanker-caribbean-venezuela-maduro/
