The United States Boarded Tanker with Venezuelan Oil Worth Over $50 Million
The US Armed Forces have boarded the fifth oil tanker, part of the so-called “shadow fleet”, as part of the “oil blockade” of Venezuela. The current market value of the confiscated oil is approximately USD 53 million.
The video of the operation was published by the US Southern Command.
On Friday, January 9, before dawn, US Marines and sailors boarded the oil tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea near Trinidad from helicopters. This is the fifth vessel detained by the United States in recent weeks.
“This morning, our joint interagency forces once again sent a clear message – there is no safe haven for criminals,” the department said.
As noted in the command, Marines and sailors of the Joint Task Force Southern Spear took off from the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier. They were supported by the amphibious assault ships Iwo Jima, San Antonio and Fort Lauderdale, which were ready to use weapons if necessary.
According to The Guardian, the Trump administration has set out to control the global distribution of Venezuelan oil products after the ouster and capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a nighttime raid by US special forces on the ground.
The seizure follows a long-running harassment of tankers linked to the supply of sanctioned Venezuelan oil in the region.
According to an industry source, the Venezuelan oil tanker left Venezuela in early January fully loaded with oil as part of a flotilla shortly after Maduro’s capture on January 3. The ship arrived in Venezuela after the US imposed an oil blockade.
According to US government documents, the Olina was under sanctions for transporting Russian oil under its previous name, Minerva M, and was flying the Panamanian flag.
Although the documents state that Olina is currently flying the flag of East Timor. The international ship registry also marks it as a false flag vessel, which means that the declared registration is invalid. In July, the owner and operator of the vessel was changed in the registration data to a Hong Kong company.
According to ship tracking services, Olina last reported its location in November in the Caribbean Sea, north of the Venezuelan coast. Since then, the vessel has been “working in the dark” by turning off its positioning beacon.
According to the publication, the declared cargo capacity of the vessel is up to 890,000 barrels of oil. At the current market price of about $60 per barrel, this equates to about $53 million.
