U.S. Seizes Fifth Tanker in Pressure Play --- Sanctioned vessel is intercepted by the Coast Guard near Venezuela's coast

“The U.S. Coast Guard seized a fifth oil tanker early Friday and continued to eye other vessels trying to evade the U.S. blockade on sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela, according to U.S. officials.

 

The tanker targeted Friday was the Olina, said the officials and Vanguard, a shipping security and tracking company. The ship, previously named the Minerva M, was sanctioned by the U.S. for its role in transporting Russian oil. The move is likely to inflame tensions between Washington and Moscow days after the U.S. seized a ship that claimed Russian protection and was being escorted by the Russian Navy.

 

The ship has an East Timor flag, and the last time it transmitted its position was in mid-November near the coast of Venezuela, according to Marine Traffic, a global ship-tracking service, which added that it was sailing under a false flag.

 

A U.S. official said the crew didn't resist.

 

The Coast Guard, supported by the Marines and other military personnel, launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier to board the ship, according to the U.S. military's Southern Command.

 

The Olina loaded 700,000 barrels of Merey crude from Venezuela's Jose terminal on Dec. 24, according to Kpler, a shipping-analytics and data firm. Equasis, a European Union database, lists its owner as Hong Kong company Tantye Peur Ltd.

 

The seizures are being used by the Trump administration to exert pressure on Venezuela's interim government and take the so-called dark fleet of tankers out of operation. The fleet, also known as the shadow fleet, comprises more than 1,000 ships that engage in deceptive activities to conceal their role in transporting sanctioned and illicit oil.

 

The Venezuela blockade is "the reason why we understand and believe that we have the strongest leverage possible," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the U.S. seized two tankers this past week.

 

About 70% of Venezuela's oil exports rely on sanctioned vessels to get around crippling U.S. sanctions on its oil industry. Russia, Iran and Venezuela have amassed an armada of aging tankers to move barrels around the world.

 

The moves to seize tankers also are meant to signal to Russia, China and Iran that they shouldn't ally themselves with Caracas or flout U.S. sanctions. The U.S. has delivered the message to Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, that her government must now side with Washington and wind down relations with U.S. adversaries, officials said.

 

The U.S. Navy has kept several warships near South America to support the boarding of ships. The Justice Department is also dedicating more resources to the seizures and has ramped up the pace and volume of its work in recent weeks, indicating more seizures could come.

 

Moscow has been concerned by U.S. seizures of tankers that transport its illicit oil around the world, and it has made the unusual move of allowing dark-fleet oil tankers near Venezuela to register in Russia without an inspection or other formalities, say shipping analysts and legal experts.

 

This past week, Moscow sent Navy ships to escort the tanker known as Bella 1 as the U.S. military tracked it across the Atlantic Ocean. Two Russian aircraft flew over the Coast Guard vessel that was part of that mission, according to Coast Guard Acting Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday.

 

In response, the Pentagon sent special forces and firepower to support the boarding and seizure of the Bella 1, including AC-130J military planes and P-8 Poseidon "submarine hunter" aircraft, according to U.S. officials.” [1]

 

1. World News: U.S. Seizes Fifth Tanker in Pressure Play --- Sanctioned vessel is intercepted by the Coast Guard near Venezuela's coast. Holliday, Shelby; Paris, Costas; Faucon, Benoit.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 10 Jan 2026: A6.