The Olina was seized in international waters east
of the Caribbean Sea by the US Coast Guard in coordination with the Defense
Department, State Department and Justice Department, Homeland Security
Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed in a post on the social platform X.
Noem added that the “ghost fleet” ship suspected
of carrying embargoed oil had “departed Venezuela attempting to evade US
forces.”
US Southern Command (Southcom) also confirmed the seizure in
a post online, saying the predawn operation involved Marines and sailors
launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier that apprehended the
Olina without incident.
“Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear
message this morning: ‘there is no safe haven for criminals,'” Southcom
added.
Public maritime database companies have identified the Olina
as falsely registered and flying the flag of Timor-Leste.
The ship was last tracked near Venezuela 52 days ago,
British maritime risk management company Vanguard said.
The seizure follows the taking of two other vessels in
the region Wednesday, the Sophia and the Bella-1, the latter of which was a
Russian-flagged tanker the US had chased for weeks.
Washington
has now taken a total of five tankers as part of its stepped-up
efforts to curb Venezuela oil exports.
The Olina has been under US-imposed sanctions since January
of last year, when it was named the Minerva M, for what Washington claimed was
being part of the shadow fleet — ships that sail with little
regulation or known insurance and help fuel Russia’s economy, according to
Reuters.
The Olina’s seizure could further inflame tensions
between the US and the Kremlin, which has accused Washington of a
“disproportionate” focus on the Bella-1, previously named the Marinera, after
it was initially chased by the Coast Guard off the coast of Venezuela last
month.
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