The United States has seized another sanctioned tanker in an effort to control the flow of oil in and out of Venezuela.
The U.S. Coast Guard boarded the Olina tanker, the fifth vessel to be seized in recent days. The operation, part of Joint Task Force Southern Spear, was conducted early Friday in the Caribbean Sea, near Trinidad and Tobago.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the boarding and seizing operation went smoothly and was done in “close coordination” with the Departments of War, State, and Justice.
In a similar statement on social media, U.S. Southern Command confirmed the Department of Homeland Security’s involvement in the operation.
The Olina, previously known as the Minerva M, was put on the Treasury Department’s sanctions list last year for transporting embargoed Russian oil.
The ship, sailing under an East Timor flag, had attempted to evade the U.S. blockade surrounding Venezuela. It last transmitted its position in November, showing it sailing near the oil-rich country. MarineTraffic, a global ship-tracking service, says it was sailing under a false flag.
Among the oil tankers seized by the U.S. this week was the Bella 1, which was registered under a Russian flag and had a Russian naval escort. The U.S. coordinated with the British military on that mission.
Trump addressed the interdiction of that particular vessel on Thursday, saying it was left unprotected by a Russian submarine and destroyer that “left very quickly” when the U.S. military arrived.
“They decided not to mess around with us,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview.
The U.S. recently seized another oil tanker, named the Sophia, in the Caribbean. U.S. Southern Command said it was “conducting illicit activities” in the region.
The recent seizures represent a dramatic escalation of U.S. efforts to crack down on sanctioned oil tankers operated by Russia, Iran, and Venezuela. These ships are collectively known as the “shadow fleet” in international circles.
There is no sign of the U.S. slowing down in the tanker-interdiction operations now that the DOJ is dedicating more of its resources to the seizures. The Coast Guard served a court-issued warrant while boarding the Bella 1 this week.
In a warning to criminals operating the illicit fleets, Noem vowed the U.S. will continue cracking down on sanctioned oil tankers.
US SEIZES SANCTIONED OIL TANKER AFTER TWO-WEEK PURSUIT
“The ghost fleets will not outrun justice. They will not hide under false claims of nationality,” she said. “The Coast Guard will seize sanctioned oil tankers, enforce U.S. and international law, and eliminate these funding streams for illicit activity including narco-terrorism.”
“We are deeply proud of the Coast Guard’s maritime fighting force for their relentless execution of this mission,” Noem added. “This is owning the sea.”