The U.S. authorities have taken control of the Olina tanker in the Caribbean, marking the fifth vessel seized recently in efforts to restrict Venezuelan oil exports, as confirmed by U.S. officials on Friday. The Olina, which was falsely using the flag of Timor Leste as per Equasis, a public shipping database, had previously departed from Venezuela and had now returned to the region, stated an industry insider familiar with the situation.
In an early morning operation, marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, deployed from the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier, intercepted the Olina in the Caribbean Sea “without any issues,” according to the U.S. Southern Command. The Command emphasized that the joint interagency forces’ action was a clear message that there is no safe refuge for criminals.
The Olina set sail from Venezuela last week carrying a full load of oil as part of a fleet shortly after the U.S. detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3. The vessel was now returning fully loaded to Venezuela following the U.S. blockade on Venezuelan oil exports, the industry source revealed.
Vanguard, a British maritime risk management company, reported that the Olina’s AIS tracker was last active 52 days ago in the Venezuelan EEZ, northeast of Curacao. The seizure of the Olina comes after a prolonged pursuit of tankers associated with sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments in the area.
The U.S. previously imposed sanctions on the tanker in January last year when it was identified as the Minerva M for its alleged involvement in the unregulated and underinsured shadow fleet of ships. Another tanker, the M Sophia, part of the same departing fleet from Venezuela, was also seized earlier this week by U.S. forces.
According to the industry source, three other vessels from the fleet, namely Skylyn, Min Hang, and Merope, all fully laden, returned to Venezuelan waters on Thursday. Additionally, seven more tankers fully loaded with oil were expected to return to Venezuelan waters on Friday and Saturday.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated on Friday that within the past 24 hours, seven oil vessels associated with the “dark fleet” had turned back to avoid interception, indicating the seriousness of the U.S. stance. All the oil onboard these ten tankers belongs to the Venezuelan state producer PDVSA, as per the source, although PDVSA did not provide an immediate comment.
The article did not mention whether Washington would take action against the other tankers en route to Venezuela. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reiterated on Wednesday that the U.S. blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan oil remains fully operational globally.
In a related development, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the cancellation of a planned second wave of attacks on Venezuela following positive gestures from the South American nation. Trump highlighted Venezuela’s release of political prisoners as a move towards peace, leading to enhanced cooperation between the two countries, especially in rebuilding their oil and gas infrastructure.
Trump’s decision to call off the anticipated attacks was based on the perceived progress in cooperation with Venezuela, as stated on Truth Social. The President’s remarks follow his earlier statements regarding potential collaboration with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and the positive relations with the Venezuelan government led by acting President Delcy Rodriguez.
Trump also mentioned plans to meet with oil executives at the White House to discuss investments in Venezuela, emphasizing a significant financial commitment in the country’s oil sector.