US Coast Guard boards fifth oil tanker to enforce Venezuela sanctions

(MENAFN) The United States Coast Guard boarded a fifth oil tanker early Friday as Washington stepped up efforts to enforce sanctions on Venezuelan oil shipments. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the tanker, the Olina, was intercepted in international waters east of the Caribbean.

“As another 'ghost fleet' tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil, this vessel had departed Venezuela attempting to evade U.S. forces,” Noem said. She added that multiple federal agencies, including Defense, State, and Justice, coordinated the operation to ensure it was carried out safely and legally. “The ghost fleets will not outrun justice. They will not hide under false claims of nationality,” she said.

The US military’s Southern Command reported that the operation, launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, apprehended the tanker “without incident.” “There is no safe haven for criminals,” the command said.

US President Donald Trump said that, in coordination with Venezuela’s interim authorities, the tanker departed without US approval and is now being redirected, with its oil set to be sold under the administration’s new energy arrangement.

This latest seizure is part of a broader campaign by the US to control Venezuelan oil shipments, following a Jan. 3 military operation in Venezuela that captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Trump had earlier said he canceled a planned second wave of attacks after receiving cooperation from Venezuelan authorities, adding, “However, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes.”

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