Second oil tanker seized by the US near Venezuela was heading to China, agency says

Trump government shows action that seized second oil tanker coming from Venezuela The oil tanker seized by the United States on Saturday (20) near the coast of Venezuela was destined for China, according to the Reuters news agency. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp The vessel is the second to be seized by the US since the start of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against the Maduro regime, which includes extensive military mobilization in the Caribbean Sea, jet overflights and bombings of vessels. The first seizure occurred on December 10th and added a new chapter to the escalation of tensions between the two countries. (Read more below) US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday (16) a total blockade of sanctioned oil tankers leaving Venezuela and said that the country is completely surrounded militarily. The announcement was interpreted by analysts as an increase in the tone of American threats. In response, the Maduro regime called Trump’s speech a “grotesque threat” and “absolutely irrational.” The ship seized on Saturday called VLCC Centuries was carrying around 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey crude oil bound for China, according to internal documents from state oil company PDVSA, which sells the oil. The vessel was flying the Panamanian flag and using the false name “Crag”. According to Reuters, the Centuries was part of the Venezuelan “ghost fleet”: a group of oil tankers that, through different devices — such as foreign flags or false names — try to hide that they are transporting Venezuelan oil to avoid international sanctions. Other sanctioned countries also use the tactic, such as Russia and Iran. According to data from the organization Transparency Venezuela, 40% of vessels transporting Venezuelan crude oil operate illegally. The Centuries left Venezuelan waters on Wednesday after being briefly escorted by the Venezuelan navy, according to Reuters sources at PDVSA and satellite images obtained by TankerTrackers.com. She was later seized in international waters west of the island of Barbados. According to documents seen by Reuters, the oil was purchased by Satau Tijana Oil Trading, one of many intermediaries involved in PDVSA’s sales to independent Chinese refiners. In defiance of Trump’s announcement of the blockade, the Maduro government stated on Wednesday that oil exports and the navigation of oil tankers remain normal, and that the vessels would be escorted by the Venezuelan Navy. Reuters sources stated that the Maduro regime authorized the departure of two oil tankers towards China on Thursday, and that each would be carrying around 1.9 million barrels of crude oil. Seizure of 2nd oil tanker Trump and Maduro AP Photo/Evan Vucci; Reuters/Leonardo Fernandez The seizure of the vessel by United States forces took place late in the morning on Saturday and a video of the action was released by the US Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem. “The United States will continue to combat the illicit movement of oil under sanctions, used to finance narco-terrorism in the region,” wrote Noem on the social network The Maduro regime stated this Saturday that Iran offered its cooperation “in all areas” to confront “piracy and international terrorism” from the USA. The first seizure occurred on the 10th. A week later, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced a total blockade of oil tankers from Venezuela and said that the country was completely surrounded. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said the act was “brutal interference” by Washington. One day after the first seizure, Russia, which had already declared its support for Maduro, once again commented on American pressure against the Latin country. He stated that “tensions in Venezuela could have unpredictable consequences for the West.” The UN Security Council will meet next Tuesday to discuss the escalation of tensions and military action between the US and Venezuela. Why are ships being seized? USA intercepts 2nd oil tanker and increases pressure on Maduro Reproduction Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves on the planet, with a capacity of approximately 303 billion barrels — or 17% of the known volume —, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the official US energy statistics body. This volume puts the country ahead of giants such as Saudi Arabia (267 billion) and Iran (209 billion), by a wide margin. Much of Venezuela’s oil, however, is extra-heavy, which requires sophisticated technology and high investments for extraction. 🔎 In practice, the potential is enormous, but it remains underutilized due to precarious infrastructure and international sanctions that limit operations and access to capital. There is a clear US interest. According to the EIA, Venezuela’s heavy crude “is well suited to North American refineries, especially those located along the Gulf Coast.” In this context, the Republican achieves two objectives simultaneously: by seeking to favor the US economy, he also puts pressure on Venezuela’s oil production and exports — a sector that is central to the country’s economy and supports the government of Nicolás Maduro. The initial effects have already started to appear this week. A Bloomberg News report indicated that Caracas faces a lack of capacity to store oil, amid measures by Washington to prevent vessels from docking or leaving Venezuelan ports. Since the United States imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s energy sector in 2019, traders and refiners that buy Venezuelan oil have resorted to using a “ghost fleet” of tankers, which hide their location, and vessels sanctioned for transporting oil from Iran or Russia. China is the biggest buyer of Venezuelan crude oil, which accounts for about 4% of its imports. In December, shipments are expected to reach an average of more than 600,000 barrels per day, according to analysts consulted by Reuters. For now, the oil market is well supplied, and there are millions of barrels in tankers off the coast of China waiting to be unloaded. If the embargo remains in place for some time, the loss of nearly a million barrels per day in crude oil supply is likely to put upward pressure on oil prices. The attack on oil tankers comes as Trump has ordered the Defense Department to carry out a series of attacks on vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean that his administration alleges are smuggling fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the United States and beyond. At least 104 people have been killed in 28 known attacks since the beginning of September. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said in an interview with Vanity Fair published this week that Trump “wants to keep blowing up boats until Maduro shouts ‘uncle.'”

Source link