US seizes fifth oil tanker as Venezuela pressure campaign continues

Operation comes days after US seized Russian-flagged tanker; US pledges to continue blockade following Maduro abduction.

The United States military has seized another oil tanker in the Caribbean, as it continues to target vessels sanctioned by Washington in its pressure campaign against Venezuela.

In a statement on Friday, the US military Southern Command said its forces had “apprehended” the Olina tanker “without incident”.

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It did not say why the tanker was targeted or offer further details on alleged violations. The Wall Street Journal reported the tanker had previously been sanctioned by Washington for transporting Russian oil.

The operation comes two days after US forces seized two oil tankers, including the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker, originally known as the Bella-1.

The US Department of Justice has since said it was investigating the crew of the ship, which was seized in the northern Atlantic, for failing to comply with coastguard orders and would pursue charges.

Russia has decried the seizure as a “gross violation” of international maritime law and called on the US to release the crew.

Since US military forces abducted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on Saturday, Washington has pledged to maintain its blockade on sanctioned oil tankers. It has also called on Venezuela to staunch its ties with Russia and China.

US President Donald Trump has said the operation against Maduro – which has been roundly condemned as a flagrant violation of international law – as well as the continued sanctions and military pressure, is aimed at opening the country’s vast oil reserves to US companies.

He was set to meet with oil and gas executives at the White House later on Friday.

The US seized another tanker in the Caribbean earlier this week, the M Sophia, which the military described as a “stateless” vessel. Panama later said the ship’s flag had been cancelled by the country last year.

US forces had previously seized the Skipper tanker and the Centuries vessel in December.

That month, four United Nations experts said the US had no “right to enforce unilateral sanctions through an armed blockade”. It said the blockade constituted an “illegal armed aggression” under international law.

A group of UN experts has more recently said that the Trump administration’s plan to indefinitely control Venezuela’s oil industry represents a violation of its citizens’ right to self-determination.

Early on Friday, Trump said on Truth Social that the US and Venezuela were “working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure”.

“Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks,” he said, adding that US military ships would remain deployed to the region.