The United States has taken control of the Olina tanker in the Caribbean Sea, marking the fifth vessel targeted recently in a bid to restrict Venezuelan oil exports, as confirmed by U.S. officials on Friday. The Olina, previously documented as falsely under the flag of Timor Leste according to the Equasis shipping database, departed from Venezuela and returned to the region, as per an industry insider.
In an early morning operation, marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, deployed from the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier, successfully apprehended the Olina in the Caribbean Sea without any issues, announced the U.S. Southern Command. The command emphasized sending a strong message against criminal activities, stating, “there is no safe haven for criminals.”
The Olina departed Venezuela fully loaded with oil last week as part of a fleet shortly after the U.S. detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3. Subsequently, the vessel was returning fully loaded to Venezuela amidst the U.S. blockade of Venezuelan oil exports, as per the industry source.
The vessel’s AIS tracker was last active 52 days ago in the Venezuelan Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), northeast of Curacao, shared British maritime risk management company Vanguard. The seizure of the Olina follows a sustained effort to track tankers associated with sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments in the area.
The U.S. levied sanctions on the tanker in January of last year when it was known as the Minerva M, due to its alleged involvement in the unregulated and underinsured shadow fleet of ships. Another tanker, M Sophia, part of a fleet that departed Venezuela earlier this month, was also seized by U.S. forces recently.
Furthermore, three vessels – Skylyn, Min Hang, and Merope – fully loaded and part of the same fleet that departed last week, returned to Venezuelan waters on Thursday. Seven additional tankers from the fleet, also fully loaded, were expected to reach Venezuelan waters by Friday and Saturday, according to the source.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell highlighted that at least seven oil vessels reversed their course within the past 24 hours to avoid interception, underscoring the seriousness of the U.S. actions. All the oil onboard these tankers belongs to Venezuelan state producer PDVSA, as confirmed by the source.
The future actions regarding other tankers heading towards Venezuela remain uncertain, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reiterated the full-effectiveness of the U.S. blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan oil worldwide. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump announced the cancellation of a planned second wave of attacks on Venezuela following positive developments and cooperation from the South American nation.
Trump praised Venezuela’s release of political prisoners as a gesture of seeking peace, emphasizing the productive collaboration between the U.S. and Venezuela, particularly in rebuilding their oil and gas infrastructure. The President indicated that while the second wave of attacks was no longer necessary, precautionary measures would be maintained for safety and security reasons.
Trump’s statements came after signaling potential meetings with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and oil executives, highlighting the evolving relations between the U.S. and Venezuela under the leadership of acting interim President Delcy Rodriguez.