US intercepts third oil tanker near Venezuela, agencies say

US announces sanctions against Maduro’s relatives and against companies and ships operating in Venezuela Reproduction/TV Globo The United States intercepted a third oil tanker near the coast of Venezuela, Bloomberg and Reuters news agencies reported this Sunday (21). The name of the boat is the oil tanker Bella 1. The date and exact location where the seizure occurred were not reported until the last update of this report. If confirmed, this will be the second seizure of oil tankers near Venezuela this weekend alone and the third in just over ten days. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp According to Bloomberg, it is an oil tanker that flew the Panamanian flag and was on its way to Venezuela to be loaded. Reuters says the ship was in international waters. The Trump administration did not comment on the new seizure until the last update of this report. In addition to this vessel, the United States seized on Saturday (20) the oil tanker Centuries and, on December 10, the Skipper. See the videos that are trending on g1 A few days ago, US President Donald Trump announced a blockade against all oil tankers subject to sanctions entering or leaving Venezuela. The announcement was interpreted by analysts as an increase in the tone of American threats. The Maduro regime called Trump’s speech a “grotesque threat” and “absolutely irrational” and said on Saturday that the seizures “will not go unpunished.” The Venezuelan government did not comment on Sunday’s seizure until the last update of this report. The seizure of oil tankers is part of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against the Maduro regime, which includes extensive military mobilization in the Caribbean Sea, overflights in Venezuelan airspace and bombings of vessels. The interceptions, which aim to strangle the Venezuelan economy, added a new chapter to the escalation of tensions between the two countries. Why are ships being seized? Trump administration shows action that seized second oil tanker coming from Venezuela 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.'” Trump and Maduro AP Photo/Evan Vucci; Reuters/Leonardo Fernandez

Source link