The United States has taken control of the Olina tanker in the Caribbean, marking the fifth vessel targeted recently in a bid to restrict Venezuelan oil exports, U.S. officials revealed on Friday. The Olina, which was falsely using the flag of Timor Leste according to the Equasis shipping database, had previously departed from Venezuela and had now returned to the region, as indicated by an industry source familiar with the situation.
In a pre-dawn operation, marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out the apprehension of the Olina in the Caribbean Sea without any issues, announced the U.S. Southern Command. The operation was part of the continued efforts to crack down on criminal activities, emphasizing that there are no safe havens for wrongdoers.
Following the U.S. seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, the Olina departed Venezuela fully loaded with oil as part of a group of ships. The vessel was now returning fully loaded to Venezuela after the U.S. imposed a blockade on Venezuelan oil exports, according to the industry source.
Vanguard, a British maritime risk management company, reported that the Olina’s AIS tracker was last active 52 days ago in the Venezuelan EEZ, northeast of Curacao. The vessel, previously known as Minerva M, was sanctioned by the U.S. in January last year due to its involvement in the shadow fleet of ships operating with minimal regulation or known insurance.
Another tanker from the same flotilla, the M Sophia, was also seized by U.S. forces earlier this week. Three other vessels, Skylyn, Min Hang, and Merope, which were part of the flotilla that departed last week, returned to Venezuelan waters on Thursday. Seven additional tankers from the flotilla were set to return to Venezuela on Friday and Saturday.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell highlighted that several oil vessels from the dark fleet had turned around to avoid interception in the past 24 hours, demonstrating the seriousness of the situation. All the oil carried by these tankers belongs to Venezuelan state producer PDVSA. Washington’s stance on the remaining tankers heading towards Venezuela remains uncertain.
President Donald Trump announced the cancellation of a second wave of attacks on Venezuela, citing cooperation from the South American nation. Trump praised Venezuela for releasing political prisoners as a move towards peace and cooperation, leading to the cancellation of the anticipated attacks. The U.S. and Venezuela are working together to enhance their oil and gas infrastructure. Trump also mentioned plans for a meeting with oil executives and substantial investments in Venezuela’s oil industry.
The latest developments come after Trump indicated a positive rapport with the Venezuelan government, led by acting interim President Delcy Rodriguez. The U.S. administration is fostering relations with Venezuela while focusing on enhancing economic activities in the oil sector.
