The US’s latest seizure of a shadow oil tanker from Venezuela played out like a scene from a Hollywood movie. Gunmen in uniform, in neat formation, were seen hurling explosives at the entrance of the vessel in the middle of the Caribbean Sea.
It was nothing short of a thriller, with US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem dubbing it “owning the sea” while sharing an unclassified video of the US Coast Guard in action.
The Coast Guards climbed surreptitiously to the top of the vessel. Moments later, a chopper appeared, with more troops descending by rope onto the deck before securing the vessel.
Celebrating the capture, Noem further wrote, “The ghost fleets will not outrun justice. They will not hide under false claims of nationality. The Coast Guard will seize sanctioned oil tankers, enforce US and international law, and eliminate these funding streams for illicit activity including narco-terrorism.”
With the latest seizure of an oil tanker named Olina, the Atlantic is heating up, as the Trump administration intensifies efforts to choke Venezuelan oil supplies – especially to countries such as Russia and China – raising the chances of confrontation.
Two days back, the US seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic in a dramatic two-week chase. Moscow reportedly sent a submarine to secure the tanker. At least 3 Indians were also part of the 28-member crew.
In a back-to-back operation, another tanker, called M/T Sophia, was seized on the same day, with the US accusing it of “conducting illicit activities.”
The Olina is the fifth tanker seized by US forces under a wider effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to control the global distribution of Venezuelan oil products following the US ouster of President Nicolas Maduro in a surprise overnight raid.
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