A US Coast Guard Maritime Special Reaction Team (MSRT) and the US Navy seized another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela Saturday, December 20. The seizure comes days after President Donald Trump announced a “total and complete blockade” of oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
“The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping,” Trump said Tuesday, when he announced the blockade.
Officials told the Associated Press that the tanker stopped voluntarily and allowed American forces to board. This is the second tanker seized in as many weeks as President Trump tries cut off Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro’s methods of funding his operations.
Hours earlier, Venezuela tested Trump’s blockade by letting two ships motor out from port, including one with a military escort. However, neither ship was sanctioned by the US, so technically it wasn’t running the blockade. Maduro’s backers lauded him for “calling Trump’s bluff,” but it came off to many as a weak attempt to appear defiant without really risking much. Samir Madani, co-fonder of Tanker Trackers, a firm that monitors global oil shipping, called it Maduro’s plan B. He also explained that dozens of tankers on the sanctions list remain in Venezuelan waters to avoid capture.
