&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "US seizes sixth Venezuela-linked tanker ahead of Trump's meeting with Maria Corina Machado")
US authorities have seized another tanker linked to Venezuela, news agency Reuters reported on Thursday (January 15), citing two officials. The move comes just before a meeting between President Donald Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. It is the sixth ship recently targeted for transporting Venezuelan oil or having done so previously.
Oil exports are crucial to Venezuela’s economy, generating about 95% of its export income, with China standing out as its primary buyer. According to estimates from the research firm Beyond The Horizon, Venezuela has already repaid more than $50 billion in debt through crude oil deliveries, although roughly $12 billion remains outstanding. The withdrawal of vessels follows closely on the heels of a US operation in which American forces intercepted and seized a Russian-flagged tanker, formerly named Bella 1 and later rebranded as Marinera, in international waters. That action heightened diplomatic tensions between Washington and Moscow and highlighted the United States’ strict enforcement of sanctions.
Under the embargo, Venezuelan waters are effectively off-limits to sanctioned vessels, halting both incoming and outgoing oil shipments. At the same time, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has widened its sanctions regime to target four Chinese firms linked to Venezuela’s energy industry: Corniola Ltd., Aries Global Investment Ltd., Krape Myrtle Co., and Winky International Ltd.
Just two days back, on Tuesday (January 13), two Chinese-flagged supertankers en route to Venezuela to load crude under long-standing oil-for-debt agreements suddenly reversed course and are headed back toward Asia, according to shipping data accessed by news agency Reuters. The shift comes after recent US action against a Russian-flagged tanker linked to Venezuela, underscoring increasing pressure on the country’s oil trade.
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