U.S. Pursues Seizure of More Venezuela Oil Tankers
The effort is intended to tighten U.S. control over Venezuela’s oil exports in the wake of the January 3 U.S. special forces operation that captured President Nicolas Maduro. In recent weeks, the U.S. military and Coast Guard have already intercepted five vessels in international waters, including the Russian-flagged Marinera, seized northwest of Scotland.
A report on Tuesday said the U.S. Justice Department has quietly filed multiple civil forfeiture cases in Washington, DC, district courts. The non-public filings seek authorization to confiscate dozens of additional tankers accused of bypassing sanctions while transporting oil from Venezuela, as well as from Iran and Russia.
The exact number of vessels targeted remains unclear. However, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said last week that the United States would “hunt down and interdict ALL dark fleet vessels transporting Venezuelan oil at the time and place of our choosing.”
The legal campaign reflects Trump’s broader objective of asserting control over Venezuela’s oil assets. While the White House says the measures are designed to rebuild the country’s energy sector for the benefit of its citizens, critics argue the strategy amounts to an unprecedented extraterritorial use of U.S. law and unilateral sanctions.
Russia has sharply criticized the seizure of the Marinera. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the action violated the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which protects freedom of navigation in international waters. The Russian Transport Ministry said the tanker was sailing under a temporary Russian flag “in accordance with Russian and international law” at the time it was stopped.
The operation against the Marinera was carried out with British assistance. A separate report by BBC said the UK government is examining its own legal grounds for detaining tankers linked to Russia.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Western governments have expanded sanctions against Russia, focusing heavily on its oil exports and what they describe as its ‘shadow fleet’. The UK alone has sanctioned more than 500 vessels.
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