&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "US military seizes another oil tanker in Caribbean Sea as Trump cracks down on Venezuela exports to Russia")
The US military seized another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on Friday (January 9) in a pre-dawn mission, the US Southern Command said. "In a pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford and apprehended Motor/Tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea without incident," the US Southern Command wrote in a post on X. "Apprehensions like this are backed by the full power of the U.S. Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, including the ready and lethal platforms of the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale," the statement added. “The Department of War’s Operation Southern Spear is unwavering in its mission to defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere.”
This comes after the US seized two Venezuela-linked tankers earlier this week, which included a Russian-flagged vessel in the Atlantic Ocean and another tanker in the Caribbean Sea. The White House said this week that President Donald Trump has no intention of backing down from seizing oil tankers linked to sanctions violations, even as critics warn the moves could heighten tensions with Russia and China.
“He’s going to enforce policies that are in the best interest of the United States,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday. “That includes cracking down on dark fleet vessels that are illegally transporting oil.” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the tanker Olina was suspected of being part of a so-called “ghost fleet” used to move embargoed oil. According to Noem, the tanker was seized after it left Venezuela and attempted to evade US forces.
Maritime risk firm Vanguard Tech said the vessel was trying to break through a US naval blockade in the Caribbean Sea. The Olina is the fifth tanker seized by US authorities in recent weeks. The company added that the ship’s tracking system had been switched off for more than 50 days and was last detected northeast of Curaçao. The seizure, it said, follows an extended effort by US forces to intercept tankers tied to sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments in the region.
