The US has seized a second oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in international waters
Earlier, US President Donald Trump ordered a "blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.
An oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela was seized by US forces on Saturday. This marks the second time in two weeks that the US military has taken such action, as US President Donald Trump increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, News.Az reports, citing the Euronews.
A few days earlier, Trump announced a "blockade" of all tankers importing or exporting oil from the sanctioned country. The first tanker was seized off the coast of the South American country by US forces on December 10.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that "the U.S. Coast Guard, with support from the Department of Defense," intercepted an oil tanker that had docked in Venezuela for the last time. Noem posted a video showing a U.S. helicopter disembarking personnel onto the vessel, named Centuries.
According to MarineTraffic, a project that uses publicly available data to track vessels worldwide, this Panamanian-flagged tanker was recently tracked off the coast of Venezuela. However, it is unknown whether this vessel was subject to US sanctions.
US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the boarding of the vessel was "coordinated" because the tanker voluntarily stopped and allowed US forces to board.
The reason for the seizure of the Centuries is less clear than that of the first tanker, Skipper, which did not fly a national flag and was part of a shadow fleet carrying sanctioned cargo.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said the Centuries was also a "false flag vessel operating as part of Venezuela's shadow fleet" carrying sanctioned oil.
However, maritime historian Dr. Salvatore Mercogliano stated that, according to shipping databases, the Centuries was legitimate. "Everything points to it being a properly registered vessel," he said, although he added that it was likely carrying sanctioned oil. He called the arrest "a major escalation" and said, "This arrest is intended to deter other tankers."
Venezuela called the seizure "criminal" and vowed not to let it go "unpunished," including by filing a complaint with the UN Security Council.
Following the initial tanker seizure, Trump vowed to impose a blockade on Venezuela and ramped up his rhetoric against Maduro, warning that the Venezuelan leader's days were numbered. He also demanded the return of assets seized from American oil companies years ago, declaring, "We will not allow anyone to pass through who shouldn't pass through... They took them—they took them illegally."
The US is also targeting ships it believes are smuggling fentanyl and other drugs. Since September, at least 104 people have been killed in 28 strikes. Critics say the evidence is lacking and the deaths resemble extrajudicial killings.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said Trump "wants to keep blowing up ships until Maduro cries."
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