The US continues to seize the Olina tanker in the Caribbean, officials said
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The US is on a mission to seize the Olina tanker in the Caribbean near Trinidad in the fifth blockade in recent weeks as part of Washington’s efforts to control Venezuelan oil exports, two US officials said on Friday.
The Olina, which according to public shipping website Equasis falsely flew the flag of Timor Leste, had previously sailed from Venezuela and returned to the region, an industry source with direct knowledge of the matter said.
“Ship’s AIS [location] The tracker was last active 52 days ago in the Venezuelan EEZ, northeast of Curacao,” British maritime risk management company Vanguard said separately.
“The seizure follows a long-running pursuit of tankers linked to agreed shipments of Venezuelan oil to the region.”
The Olina left Venezuela last week fully loaded with oil as part of a flotilla shortly after the US impeached Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3, and the ship was returning fully loaded to Venezuela following the US embargo on Venezuelan oil exports, an industry source said.
The US imposed sanctions on the tank in January of last year, when it was called Minerva M, for what Washington said was part of a fleet of so-called shadow vessels that operate with minimal rules or known insurance.
The IM Sophia, one of a dozen tankers that left Venezuela earlier this month, was seized by US forces earlier this week.
The three ships – Skylyn, Min Hang and Merope – are all fully loaded and part of the same flotilla that departed last week, returned to Venezuelan waters on Thursday, according to an industry source.
The US has seized two sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela after actions in the North Atlantic and Caribbean Sea, officials said Wednesday, and is lifting sanctions to allow the export and sale of oil from the South American country to markets around the world.
Seven other tankers from that flotilla, also fully loaded, were due to return to Venezuelan waters on Friday and Saturday, the person said.
All the oil aboard the 10 tankers belongs to Venezuela’s state oil producer PDVSA, the person said. PDVSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It was not clear whether Washington would take action against other tankers sailing toward Venezuela.
Johannesburg – The US embargo on sanctioned Venezuelan oil remains in full force “anywhere in the world,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday.
Trump cancels second wave of attacks
This latest announcement comes as US President Donald Trump said he has called off the second attack on Venezuela following the cooperation of the South American country.
Trump said on Friday that Venezuela was releasing dozens of political prisoners as a sign of its “desire for peace,” following last week’s U.S. military operation that led to Maduro’s capture.
“This is a very important and wise action. The USA and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it relates to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and modern way, their oil and gas infrastructure,” said Trump on Truth Social.
“Thanks to this cooperation, I have withdrawn the second Wave of Attacks that was expected earlier, which seems unlikely, however, all ships will remain in place for safety and security,” his post added.
The US capture of Nicolás Maduro has opened new hope for the hundreds of political dissidents who have been languishing in Venezuela’s notorious prisons. Nationally, CBC’s Evan Dyer talks to Venezuelans now living in Canada who say they want to see the Trump administration do more to free their families and friends.
Trump’s comments come hours after he appeared in an interview with Fox News’s Hannity The plan is that the leader of the opposition in Venezuela Maria Corina Machado will come to Washington next week, after previously dismissing the idea of working with her, saying that she “has no support inside or respect in the country.”
However, the Republican president told the New York Times on Wednesday that the US “gets along very well” with the Venezuelan government, which is led by Interim Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.
During the Fox News interview, Trump also said that he will meet with oil executives at the White House on Friday and that oil companies will spend at least $100 billion in Venezuela, which he repeated in his Truth Social book.
