The United States has seized the oil tanker Olina in the Caribbean, as per a Reuters report.
This marks the fifth vessel targeted in recent weeks as part of Washington’s efforts to restrict Venezuelan oil exports, the report added.
Data from the shipping database Equasis shows the tanker was operating under a false Timor-Leste flag.
An industry source familiar with the matter told the news agency that the Olina had previously departed from Venezuela and had returned to the region.
The Olina was intercepted following a lengthy pursuit.
According to public shipping registry data, the vessel’s autonomous identification system tracker was last active 52 days ago in Venezuela’s Exclusive Economic Zone, northeast of Curaçao, before reappearing in the Caribbean seas.
Over the last few weeks, the US has increased its attempts to target a network of ships transporting crude away from Venezuela under numerous flags and with little monitoring, increasing fears about US sanctions evasion.
Sanctions and the history of the voyage
According to the report, the tanker departed Venezuela last week carrying a full cargo of oil as part of a flotilla, shortly after US authorities detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3.
The Olina was returning toward Venezuelan waters when it was intercepted, amid what the United States describes as a blockade on Venezuelan oil shipments.
The vessel was first sanctioned by the United States in January last year, when it was operating under the name Minerva M.
At the time, US officials classified it as part of the so-called “shadow fleet.”
Such vessels are often described by authorities as operating with limited regulatory oversight and insurance coverage, making them harder to monitor and subject to closer scrutiny under US sanctions enforcement.
Part of a broader enforcement strategy
The detention of the Olina is part of a broader US operation targeting marine activity associated with Venezuelan oil.
In recent weeks, US authorities have pursued and interdicted many vessels suspected of transferring Venezuelan crude outside sanctioned channels, bolstering an enforcement campaign aimed at preventing unauthorised shipments.
This increased enforcement is part of Washington’s effort to exercise control over Venezuelan oil flows, as part of greater geopolitical and economic pressure on the Venezuelan regime.
US authorities intend to limit the regime’s capacity to generate revenue from petroleum exports while guaranteeing compliance with sanctions.
As the US continues to pursue vessels accused of transporting Venezuelan oil outside of sanctioned channels, the Olina incident is likely to be one of numerous high-profile interdictions.
US officials have stated that these activities will continue as long as attempts to bypass export regulations continue.
Observers say that maritime enforcement measures such as these have ramifications not only for Venezuela’s oil industry but also for broader regional trade patterns, as shipowners and operators reassess routes and compliance methods in reaction to rising US interdictions.
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