The U.S. seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela as it traveled to Cuba.
“As you probably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coasts of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually, and other things are happening, so you’ll be seeing that later, and you’ll be talking about that later with some other people,” President Donald Trump said at the White House.
One reporter asked Trump what would happen to all the oil.
“We keep it, I guess,” responded Trump.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the FBI, DHS, and the Coast Guard, with help from the Defense Department, executed the search warrant:
Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States 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—and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues.
The U.S. placed sanctions on Venezuela’s oil company years ago. From Axios:
Zoom in: The U.S. has sanctioned Venezuela’s oil company for years, but this vessel was seized because it was on the U.S. Treasury Department’s “Specially Designated Nationals” list for allegedly violating other sanctions, providing the justification for it to be seized.
The vessel is known as a VLCC, or Very Large Crude Carrier, capable of transporting as much as 320,000 deadweight tons of crude, two sources with direct knowledge said.
The exact details of the seizure, first reported by Bloomberg, are unclear and administration officials could not be reached for comment.
The move will likely heighten the tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela.
Trump has been targeting Venezuela through strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean over international waters.
This one seizure could lead to more trouble for Venezuela. From The Wall Street Journal:
One of the officials said the move was a warning to other tankers waiting to dock and load up Venezuelan crude. Maritime tracking data show around a dozen off the Venezuelan coast, but the official said others have their Automatic Identification System turned off to avoid detection.The U.S. has sanctions in place that prohibit companies from trading Venezuelan oil, though it has given exemptions to some companies, including Chevron, which this summer received a narrowed license to operate in the country. Trump has warned that he will level hefty tariffs on countries that buy oil from Caracas.Asked about the seizure at the White House, Trump joked that journalists should follow the tanker with a helicopter and said he assumed the U.S. would keep the oil. He also said that information about the ship’s owner would be forthcoming.Brokers in Singapore told The Wall Street Journal that a tanker called the Skipper was the vessel seized off Venezuela early Wednesday. The tanker, formerly called the Adisa, had been sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control for carrying Iranian crude.
Then there’s Cuba, the home of the oil on the tanker.
As Marc Caputo at Axios pointed out, Cuba is an ally of Venezuela and a U.S. adversary.
The system in place is corrupt because of course:
Havana sells Venezuelan crude on the black market, chiefly to Asian markets that ultimately feed China.
- The crude oil is handled by a grandson of Raul Castro, the former leader of Cuba and brother of longtime dictator Fidel Castro, the insiders say.
- In addition to splitting the profits with Venezuela, Cuba supplies intelligence services and agents who protect Maduro.
- “This is a twofer: we’re going after Maduro’s bank account and the Cubans that keep him in power,” one of the sources said.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY