US intercepts fifth tanker as it exerts control over Venezuelan oil

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on Friday, the U.S. military said, as the Trump administration continues to target sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.

The pre-dawn action was carried out by Marines and Navy sailors from the forces the U.S. has built up in the Caribbean in recent months, according to U.S. Southern Command, which declared “there is no safe haven for criminals” as it announced the seizure of the vessel called the Olina.

Southern Command posted unclassified footage on social media of a U.S. helicopter landing on the vessel and U.S. personnel conducting a search of the deck.

The Olina is the fifth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to control the distribution of Venezuela’s oil products globally following the U.S. ouster of President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid.

A Southern Command spokesperson told The Associated Press that the Navy and Marine Corps forces were supporting the Department of Homeland Security, which was in charge of the operation. They confirmed that the U.S. Coast Guard took control of the vessel.

The U.S. Coast Guard declined to comment on the seizure and told the AP that it was directing all requests for comment to the White House.

The Southern Command spokesperson wouldn’t answer questions on whether the ship was affiliated with Venezuela or under sanction, deferring those questions to the Justice Department and Homeland Security.

However, U.S. government records show that the Olina was sanctioned for moving Russian oil under its prior name, Minerva M, and flagged in Panama.

While records show that the Olina is now flying the flag of Timor-Leste, it is also listed in the international shipping registry as having a false flag, meaning the registration it is claiming is not valid. In July, the owner and manager of the ship on its registration was changed to a company in Hong Kong.

According to ship tracking databases, the Olina last transmitted its location in November in the Caribbean, north of the Venezuelan coast. Since then, however, the ship has been running dark with its location beacon turned off.

The ship has a listed cargo capacity of up to 890,000 barrels of oil, which at the current market price of about $60 a barrel would be about $53 million.

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Associated Press writer Dánica Coto contributed from San Juan, Puerto Rico and Michael Biesecker contributes from Washington.