U.S. forces seized another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on Friday, escalating President Donald Trump’s campaign to control Venezuela’s oil production and exports.
The predawn operation targeted the tanker Olina, with U.S. Marines and Navy sailors boarding the vessel from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, according to U.S. Southern Command. The Coast Guard later took custody of the ship, declaring there was “no safe haven for criminals.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the Olina as part of a so-called “ghost fleet” attempting to transport embargoed Venezuelan oil while evading U.S. enforcement. Unclassified footage released by U.S. officials showed a helicopter landing on the tanker and personnel breaching its interior.
The Olina is the fifth tanker seized under Trump’s strategy to restrict sanctioned oil shipments, and the third since the U.S. ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
Trump said the seizure was conducted “in coordination with the Interim Authorities of Venezuela,” though U.S. officials provided few details. Venezuela later confirmed cooperation, stating the tanker had departed without authorization and was being returned to Venezuelan waters.
Shipping analysts say at least 16 tankers have attempted to flee Venezuelan ports in violation of a U.S.-enforced quarantine. The Olina, previously sanctioned for transporting Russian oil under a different name, was operating under a disputed flag and had gone “dark” by disabling its tracking system.
The Trump administration has made clear the seizures are part of a broader plan to sell sanctioned oil and reinvest proceeds into rebuilding Venezuela’s oil industry, with potential investments reaching $100 billion.
