U.S. seizes fifth oil tanker linked to Venezuela, officials say

U.S. forces have seized another oil tanker in the Caribbean, officials said, as the Trump administration continues its efforts to control Venezuelan oil exports.

The oil tanker, named Olina, has been included on the sanctions lists of multiple countries and is the fifth oil tanker seized by the United States in recent weeks.

The United States is using the seizures to pressure Venezuela’s interim government and take a fleet of so-called “dark” tankers out of service. Officials say the fleet consists of more than 1,000 vessels transporting sanctioned and illegal oil.

“This morning, our joint, interagency forces once again sent a clear message: ‘There is no safe haven for criminals,'” U.S. Southern Command said Friday.

The ship reportedly left Venezuelan waters late Sunday after the United States captured President Nicolas Maduro in an early morning raid.

Officials said Friday’s operation was conducted before dawn by Marines and sailors in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, and that the suspect was detained after “leaving Venezuela in an attempt to evade U.S. forces.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X that it was “another ‘ghost fleet’ tanker suspected of carrying embargoed oil.”

Noem also shared a video showing troops descending from a helicopter onto a ship and called the operation “safe” and “effective.”

Maritime risk firm Vanguard Tech said the ship was trying to break a U.S. naval blockade in the Caribbean. The ship was sailing under a false flag registered to East Timor, according to the International Maritime Organization.

Vanguard Tech added that the vessel’s location tracker was last active 52 days ago in northeast Curacao, and “the seizure follows a lengthy manhunt for the tanker linked to sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments in the region.”

The United States imposed sanctions on the Olina, then named the Minerva M, last January, accusing it of helping finance Russia’s war in Ukraine by diverting Russian oil to foreign markets.

Earlier this week, the United States said it had seized two more oil tankers linked to Venezuelan oil exports in a “continuous” operation in the North Atlantic and Caribbean.

One of them, the Russian-flagged Marinera, was captured with the help of the Royal Navy, which provided logistical support by air and sea.

Marinera is said to be part of a shadow fleet transporting oil to Venezuela, Russia and Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. U.S. officials said Marinella mistakenly flew the Guyanese flag last month, rendering her stateless.

U.S. authorities have accused the second tanker, the Sophia, of “conducting illegal activities.”

Experts told BBC Verify that authorities can board stateless vessels under United Nations international maritime law.

President Donald Trump said Venezuela, which has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, would “hand over” up to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, worth about $2.8 billion (£2.1 billion).

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the oil would be “sold on the market at market prices” and the United States would control how the proceeds are distributed “in a manner that benefits the Venezuelan people.”