The United States Coast Guard seized the Olina oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on Friday (January 9), marking the fifth oil tanker seized by the U.S. in recent weeks. The U.S. is continuing to monitor other sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the seizure on Friday on the social media platform X, along with a related video. Noem stated that in the early hours of Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) boarded and confiscated the Olina oil tanker in international waters east of the Caribbean Sea. Departing from Venezuela, the Olina was another vessel in the “ghost fleet” suspected of transporting prohibited oil, attempting to evade U.S. military pursuit.
Noem mentioned that this operation was closely coordinated with the Department of Defense, State Department, and Justice Department to ensure that the “safe and effective boarding” complied with legal requirements.
“The ghost fleet will not escape justice or sanctions. They cannot hide under false flags of nationality. The Coast Guard will seize sanctioned oil tankers, enforce U.S. and international law, and cut off the funding for illegal activities including drug trafficking and terrorism,” she said.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Olina tanker was previously known as the “Minerva M.” The vessel had been sanctioned by the U.S. for transporting Russian oil. An American official stated that the crew did not resist when the U.S. intercepted the vessel.
Information provided by the global vessel tracking service company Marine Traffic revealed that the vessel flew the flag of East Timor, but it was actually a false flag. The last position signal from the vessel was sent in mid-November last year when it was close to the Venezuelan coast.
This is the fifth such enforcement operation by the U.S. in the region. On Wednesday (January 7), the U.S. seized a “ghost fleet” oil tanker, the Bella 1, flying the Russian flag. The tanker had escaped U.S. blockade and triggered a week-long chase. The U.S. also announced the seizure of another sanctioned oil tanker, the Sofia, on Wednesday, accusing it of engaging in illegal activities in the Caribbean Sea.