The United States has seized a sixth Venezuela-linked tanker in the Caribbean, hours before President Donald Trump’s meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, U.S. officials told Reuters.
U.S. officials said on Thursday that the latest vessel taken into custody is the Guyana-flagged Aframax tanker Veronica, marking the sixth ship targeted since mid-December.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the seizure occurred in the Caribbean and forms part of a wider campaign against vessels tied to Venezuela's oil trade.
U.S. Southern Command confirmed the pre-dawn operation, saying forces apprehended the Motor/Tanker Veronica without incident.
Its statement said the vessel had been operating in defiance of President Trump’s quarantine on sanctioned ships in the Caribbean. It added that the only oil permitted to leave Venezuela would be shipments coordinated lawfully under U.S. oversight.
Shipping documents from PDVSA and data from TankerTrackers.com show the Veronica departed Venezuelan waters empty in early January.
Unlike several other tankers that recently returned to Venezuelan ports, the vessel remained outside the country before being intercepted.
Washington’s targeting of vessels expanded sharply after Trump ordered operations to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power, culminating in U.S. forces detaining Maduro and his wife on 3 January.
Trump has since said the United States intends to control Venezuela’s oil resources indefinitely as part of a $100 billion reconstruction plan for the sector.
Sources familiar with U.S. legal filings said Washington has already submitted requests to seize dozens more tankers tied to shipments from Venezuela, Iran and Russia, including vessels identified as part of a shadow fleet that obscures its origin and ownership.
Maritime authorities in Panama, Cook Islands and Guyana have reported ships operating under false flags or registrations cancelled before interception.
Last week, U.S. forces seized a Russian-flagged tanker that had been shadowed by a Russian submarine across the Atlantic, prompting condemnation from Moscow.
Thursday’s operation came shortly before Trump’s scheduled meeting with Maria Corina Machado, their first since the U.S. removed Maduro from power.
Trump has previously described her as a freedom fighter but questioned her domestic support. A classified CIA assessment presented to the president concluded that Maduro loyalists, including senior figure Rodriguez, were currently best positioned to maintain stability in Venezuela.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance has arrived in Armenia, marking the first time a sitting U.S. vice president or president has visited the country, as Was...
Pressure is mounting on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer amid resignations and a row over Peter Mandelson, a powerful figure in the ruling Labour Party....
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has accused Afghanistan’s authorities of fostering conditions “similar to or worse than pre-9/11”, as te...
Chinese authorities have quietly signalled a shift in strategy, instructing some state-owned banks to rein in their purchases of U.S. government bonds...
Convicted Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell refused to answer questions before Congress, while her lawyer said she could clear President Donald Trum...
Venezuelan authorities said they were seeking court approval to put prominent opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa under house arrest on Sunday, shortly after he was seized by armed men in Caracas in what his son called a kidnapping.
The U.S. military said it has carried out a strike Thursday (5 February) on a vessel allegedly engaged in narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific, according to the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), killing two people.
India says it's going to stop buying Russian oil and lower trade barriers after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with India on Monday (2 February) that cuts American tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%.
More than 30 people in Venezuela considered to be "political prisoners" were released on Sunday (1 February), legal rights group Foro Penal said, as part of a prisoner release process that families have said is too slow.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised American freestyle skier Hunter Hess after the athlete said he felt conflicted about representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in Italy, sparking a public clash that highlights growing political tensions surrounding the Games.
U.S. skiing great Lindsey Vonn underwent surgery in an Italian hospital on Sunday after her attempt to win Olympic downhill gold ended in a violent crash just seconds into the race at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Several avalanches struck northern Italy on Saturday, killing at least three people, as rescue officials warned the death toll could rise with unstable conditions persisting across the Alps.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Saturday after completing a round of talks with Iran.
Russian forces attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight on Saturday, marking the second such strike in less than a week, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Pressure is mounting on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer amid resignations and a row over Peter Mandelson, a powerful figure in the ruling Labour Party. The episode has raised doubts about Starmer’s authority and how firmly his own party continues to back him.
Chinese authorities have quietly signalled a shift in strategy, instructing some state-owned banks to rein in their purchases of U.S. government bonds.
Convicted Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell refused to answer questions before Congress, while her lawyer said she could clear President Donald Trump of wrongdoing if granted clemency.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has accused Afghanistan’s authorities of fostering conditions “similar to or worse than pre-9/11”, as tensions between the two neighbours intensify amid a surge in militant attacks inside Pakistan.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down, saying that “the distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change.”
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment