The US intercepted the seventh sanctioned tanker in the Caribbean Sea
The US Armed Forces intercepted the oil tanker Sagitta in the Caribbean Sea as it attempted to circumvent the sanctions blockade against Venezuela. This was reported by the US Southern Command. The operation was carried out in coordination with the US Department of Homeland Security and, according to the American side, without any incidents, DW reports.
The command stated that the actions were aimed at ensuring that oil leaving Venezuela was supplied exclusively through legal channels. The blockade of sanctioned tankers was introduced by US President Donald Trump as a means of putting pressure on the authorities in Caracas.
According to VesselFinder, Sagitta flies the Panamanian flag and is included in the sanctions lists of the US, the European Union and the UK. At the same time, the MarineTraffic portal indicates that a tanker with the same IMO identification number is registered under the Liberian flag.
The detention of Sagitta was the seventh case of interception of vessels as part of an operation against the so-called shadow fleet, which provides oil exports from Venezuela. According to US authorities, such vessels account for about 70 per cent of Venezuelan oil exports.
Earlier, on 7 January, US forces detained the tanker Marinera, also known as Bella 1, which had been evading pursuit by the US Coast Guard for more than two weeks. Moscow called the incident an illegal use of force and claimed that Washington had failed to fulfil its promise to release two Russian citizens from the crew. The interception of tankers is taking place against the backdrop of increased US control over Venezuela's oil trade, which is seen as a key lever of influence on the government in Caracas.
Trump, US, Venezuela, shadow fleet
