USA intercepted tankers with Venezuelan oil: details of the maritime blockade.

According to ТСН: No fewer than four tankers, most of which were carrying oil, returned to the waters of Venezuela after leaving the country in 'dark mode'—with transponders turned off—amid the blockade imposed by the USA at the beginning of January.

According to the state oil company PDVSA and the monitoring service TankerTrackers.com, last month a fleet of approximately a dozen loaded vessels and at least three empty ships left the waters of Venezuela, ignoring the embargo imposed by US President Donald Trump in mid-December. These actions significantly reduced oil exports from the country.

Intercepting tankers

One of the vessels—a supertanker M Sophia registered in Panama—was intercepted and detained by the United States this week while returning to Venezuela.

Another tanker, Aframax Olina registered in São Tomé and Príncipe, was also detained by US forces, but on Friday it was released and allowed to return to Venezuela, PDVSA reported.

Three other vessels in the fleet—Merope registered in Panama, Min Hang registered in the Cook Islands, and Thalia III registered in Panama—were detected by TankerTrackers.com in the waters of Venezuela on Friday evening using satellite imagery.

Additionally, on Friday the US authorities announced the release of the tanker Olina, which was previously named Minerva M.

Maritime blockade of Venezuela

It was previously reported that the USA continues the maritime blockade of Venezuela and intercepts vessels trying to export oil to circumvent sanctions.

The US Senate passed a resolution prohibiting President Donald Trump from using military force against Venezuela without Congressional approval.

The situation with the tankers and oil exports from Venezuela remains tense amid international sanctions. The USA, actively influencing maritime trade, seeks to maintain control over the state of affairs in this resource-rich country. The responses of other countries and changes in foreign policy may prove crucial for the developments in this region.