US forces have seized another oil tanker in the Caribbean, according to statements from the US military and US officials, as the Trump administration continues its blockade on Venezuela with the goal of controlling the country’s oil industry and exports.
US Southern Command said that US Marines and sailors deployed from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford seized the tanker named Veronica early Thursday morning. The command posted a video showing US forces descending onto the tanker.
“The Veronica is the latest tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, proving the effectiveness of Operation Southern Spear yet again,” SOUTHCOM said.
The ship marks the sixth Venezuela-linked tanker the US has seized in recent months and the fourth since the US attack on Caracas to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro, which killed more than 80 people.
Last week, after the US seized the fifth tanker, President Trump claimed the action was done in coordination with Venezuela’s government, which is currently led by Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s vice president.
“Today, the United States of America, in coordination with the Interim Authorities of Venezuela, seized an oil tanker which departed Venezuela without our approval,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last Friday. “This tanker is now on its way back to Venezuela, and the oil will be sold through the GREAT Energy Deal, which we have created for such sales.”
A US official told Reuters on Wednesday that the US completed its first sale of Venezuelan oil under a deal with the Venezuelan government. The official said that revenue from the initial sale, about $500 million, is being held in US-controlled bank accounts.
