NOT CLEAR WHERE VESSEL WILL NOW GO
The seizure took place just days after US special forces swooped into Caracas before dawn on Saturday in a deadly raid to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and take him to the US. The US military turned him over to federal authorities for prosecution on charges involving alleged drug trafficking.
It was unclear where exactly the ship would now go, but sources said it would likely be entering British territorial waters.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence declined to comment.
The US Coast Guard first attempted to intercept the vessel last month, but it refused to be boarded. Since then, it has registered under a Russian flag and been renamed the Marinera.
The vessel is the latest tanker targeted by the US Coast Guard since the start of US President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against Venezuela.
COAST GUARD SEIZES A SECOND VENEZUELA-LINKED TANKER
Separately, the US Coast Guard has also intercepted another Venezuela-linked tanker in Latin American waters on Wednesday.
The US military’s Southern Command said the Panama-flagged supertanker M Sophia, which is under sanctions, was intercepted before dawn and described it as a “stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker”.
“The US Coast Guard is escorting M/T Sophia to the US for final disposition,” Southern Command said in a statement.
The seizure was first reported by Reuters.
It had departed from Venezuelan waters in early January as part of a fleet of ships carrying Venezuelan oil to China in “dark mode” or with its transponder off, according to shipping data and sources.
Source: CNA
