US military forces seized a seventh tanker near Venezuela on Tuesday as the Trump administration continues to pressure the South American country to halt its use of sanctioned ships and clamp down on the nation's oil trade.
Motor Vessel Sagitta was captured in Caribbean waters without incident, the US Southern Command said in a post on X. The ship was out of compliance with Washington's restrictions on sanctioned vessels, said the command, which oversees US military activities in the region.
“The apprehension of another tanker operating in defiance of President Trump's established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean demonstrates our resolve to ensure that the only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully,” the command said.
It's the latest ship linked to Venezuela that the US has taken control of since early December. Multiple seizures were executed before and after forces captured and removed former President Nicolas Maduro in a highly coordinated operation that included air strikes on Caracas.
The Trump administration has pledged to crack down on Venezuela's use of sanctioned ships, which often deploy deceptive satellite positioning signals, false flags and other misleading techniques to illegally export oil and other goods. The ship seizures are taking place as Washington squeezes the country's oil industry. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said Venezuela “will be turning over” up to 50 million barrels of oil to the US.
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