U.S. Coast Guard Pursues Third Sanctioned Oil Tanker Near Venezuela Amid Trump’s Crackdown
MIAMI, Fla. — In a decisive escalation of U.S. efforts to enforce sanctions against Venezuela, the U.S. Coast Guard is actively pursuing a third oil tanker suspected of evading sanctions near Venezuelan waters. This move comes as part of President Donald Trump’s aggressive campaign to disrupt Nicolás Maduro’s illicit oil trafficking network.
According to a U.S. official who spoke with Fox News, the tanker in question is part of what is often referred to as the “dark fleet,” vessels that operate under false flags and attempt to conceal their true ownership and cargo to circumvent U.S. sanctions. The official confirmed that the vessel is currently under a judicial seizure order but has not yet been boarded. Intercepting such vessels often involves close surveillance and maneuvering by Coast Guard ships and aircraft.
President Trump announced earlier this month a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, aiming to choke off the revenue streams that sustain Maduro’s regime. This latest pursuit follows two prior seizures of sanctioned tankers off the Venezuelan coast. The first seizure, conducted on December 17, was carried out with U.S. Department of Justice agents rappelling onto the vessel with weapons drawn, as shown in video footage released by the DOJ. Attorney General Pam Bondi highlighted that the tanker had been sanctioned for years due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.
“This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely,” Bondi said, emphasizing ongoing investigations alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil.
The second tanker was seized on December 20, with the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announcing the operation on social media. The U.S. Coast Guard, supported by the Department of Defense, apprehended the vessel after it had recently docked in Venezuela. These coordinated efforts underscore the administration’s commitment to enforcing sanctions and disrupting Maduro’s oil revenue.
The pursuit of the third tanker underscores the challenges of enforcing sanctions against Venezuela’s shadowy “dark fleet,” which frequently changes flags and ownership to evade detection. The U.S. Coast Guard’s actions align with directives from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Justice to aggressively target vessels involved in sanctions evasion.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has responded to these enforcement actions with defiance, reportedly threatening to “smash the teeth” of what he calls the “North American empire.” His regime continues to rely heavily on oil exports for revenue despite U.S. efforts to isolate it economically.
The Trump administration’s crackdown has placed major oil companies such as Chevron in a difficult position, caught between compliance with U.S. sanctions and the complex realities of operating in Venezuela’s oil sector. The blockade and seizures represent a high-stakes effort to cut off Maduro’s financial lifelines and pressure his government toward political change.
For more information on U.S. sanctions enforcement, visit the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Venezuela sanctions page. Additional details on maritime interdiction efforts can be found through the Department of Homeland Security’s maritime security resources.
As the U.S. Coast Guard continues its pursuit of sanctioned vessels, the evolving situation near Venezuela remains a critical front in the Trump administration’s broader foreign policy strategy to isolate the Maduro regime and uphold international sanctions.
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