US: Two oil ships connected to Venezuela are seized by soldiers in the Atlantic
US: As part of increased attempts to impose sanctions related to Venezuela’s oil trade, the US Coast Guard on Wednesday released video showing US personnel boarding and seizing control of the oil tanker Bella I, subsequently renamed Marinera, in the North Atlantic.
The Coast Guard highlighted the importance of coordinated maritime law enforcement in upholding international sanctions in a post that accompanied the video, stating that the action displayed its “specialised capabilities, global impact, and an unstoppable joint force.”
The Coast Guard provided details of the operation, saying, “Today in the North Atlantic, @USCG carried out a boarding and seizure of the Motor Tanker Bella I in conjunction with @DeptofWar. Tactical Coast Guard crews used our strong maritime law enforcement capabilities to capture Bella I via a well-executed combined operation after Coast Guard Cutter Munro conducted a persistent shadowing campaign across the Atlantic.”
“Through a whole of government effort and seamless coordination, our maritime fighting force is proud to own the sea, uphold international law, and defend America,” it said, emphasizing the interagency work that went into the operation.
A larger US raid on ships connected to Venezuela’s oil trafficking includes the detention of Bella I. Two oil ships linked to Venezuela have been seized by the US, one of which was flying a Russian flag. Despite worries that his actions might worsen relations with China and Russia, the White House said that President Donald Trump is “not afraid” to keep arresting boats that have been sanctioned, CNN reported.
According to firms that monitor international oil shipments, one of the tankers had been evading US officials for weeks, while the other was transporting up to two million barrels of Venezuelan crude, according to further information on the seizures.
The New York Times said that shipping intelligence companies Kpler and TankerTrackers.com claimed that both tankers were a member of a “ghost fleet” that secretly transports oil for Russia, Iran, or Venezuela in defiance of sanctions put in place by the US and other nations.
The report stated that the US Secretary of State presented a plan for Venezuela’s near-term future, which included suggestions for the US to sell up to 50 million barrels of seized Venezuelan oil and determine how the proceeds would be allocated, just hours after the seizures, which included the Russian-flagged tanker.
Following the overthrow of its friend, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, relations with Moscow escalated further with the seizure of the tanker flying the Russian flag. The US military announced in a statement that its soldiers had “seized” the ship in the North Atlantic, between Scotland and Iceland, for breaking US sanctions, as reported by The New York Times.
The ship was not carrying oil at the time of the capture, according to the article, but it had previously tried to cruise to Venezuela to load petroleum and had been avoiding US troops for almost two weeks before being apprehended.