The United States seized an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela, according to US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region,” Noem wrote on X on Saturday.
The US Coast Guard apprehended the vessel before dawn with support from the Pentagon, she added.
The incident occurred just days after US President Donald Trump announced a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
This is the second time in recent weeks that the US has seized a tanker near Venezuela, and it comes amid a large US military buildup in the region as Trump continues to ramp up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Adam Clements, a former US diplomat and Pentagon official, told Al Jazeera that the US administration’ actions to put pressure on Maduro will produce results or not in terms of its purposes is yet to be seen.
He reminded that President Trump’s administration already talked about “stemming the flow of drugs and focusing on the Western Hemisphere”, adding that Washington also “hinted at regime change”.
Sharp fall in exports
In the days since US forces seized the first sanctioned oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast last week, there has been an effective embargo in place, with loaded vessels carrying millions of barrels of oil staying in Venezuelan waters rather than risking seizure.
Since the first seizure, Venezuelan crude exports have fallen sharply.
While many vessels picking up oil in Venezuela are under sanctions, others transporting the country’s oil and crude from Iran and Russia have not been sanctioned. Some companies, particularly the US’s Chevron, transport Venezuelan oil in their own authorised ships.
