The United States has intercepted and seized another sanctioned oil tanker at sea. In doing so, they are stepping up their enforcement campaign against so-called “ghost fleet” ships accused of transporting embargoed crude oil, drawing sharp criticism from Moscow. This was the fifth such interception under the Trump administration aimed at controlling the distribution of Venezuelan oil products.The latest operation, conducted in international waters east of the Caribbean Sea, was confirmed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who framed the action as a warning to criminal networks and enemy states alike.
“The criminals of the world are on alert,” Noem said, announcing that the U.S. Coast Guard had boarded and seized the motor tanker Olina after it left Venezuela and tried to evade American forces.Describing the ship as part of a shadow fleet suspected of transporting embargoed oil, she said the operation was carried out in close coordination between the Defense Department, State Department and Justice Department and was consistent with international law. “The ghost fleets will not escape justice. They will not hide under false pretenses of nationality,” Noem said, adding that the Coast Guard will continue to seize sanctioned tankers and cut off funding streams related to illegal activities, including narcoterrorism. “It means owning the sea.”The seizure follows an earlier, high-profile interception that has already strained relations between Washington and Moscow. Russia has strongly condemned the US hijacking of another tanker, warning that such actions could lower the threshold for the use of force against what it describes as peaceful shipping and risk further escalation in the Euro-Atlantic region. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Washington of a “gross violation” of international maritime law and rejected the legitimacy of unilateral Western sanctions, stressing that the ship was authorized to sail under the Russian flag.Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far avoided direct comments, and aggressive voices in Moscow reacted angrily. However, Washington has defended its actions as legitimate enforcement of sanctions against Venezuela and related oil shipments. U.S. officials say Venezuelan crude oil can only be transported through approved channels consistent with American law and national security interests. U.S. European Command said the former ship was seized for violating U.S. sanctions after it tried to evade restrictions and change its name and flag.
