U.S. military forces on Tuesday seized a seventh oil tanker tied to Venezuela, continuing the Trump administration's aggressive enforcement of sanctions aimed at controlling the flow of Venezuelan oil and preventing unauthorized exports in the Caribbean.
According to a statement from U.S. Southern Command, American forces boarded and apprehended the vessel in the Caribbean.
"This morning, U.S. military forces, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, apprehended Motor Vessel Sagitta without incident," Southern Command said. "The apprehension of another tanker operating in defiance of President Trump's established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean demonstrates our resolve to ensure that the only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully."
Southern Command emphasized that the joint force's actions in the Western Hemisphere are focused on national security and stability.
Military officials did not specify whether the Coast Guard took control of the tanker, as has occurred in several previous interdictions.
The seizures are part of the broader Operation Southern Spear campaign, which includes a maritime effort to block sanctioned and "shadow fleet" vessels from evading U.S. sanctions and shipping Venezuelan crude.
Earlier this month, U.S. forces intercepted other tankers in the Caribbean and North Atlantic, including vessels previously reflagged or renamed in attempts to hide their origins and evade capture.
President Donald Trump earlier this month announced that Venezuela had agreed to turn over between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States as part of a deal reached between Washington and Caracas.
Last week, the U.S. completed its first sales of Venezuelan oil under the new arrangement, valued at about $500 million.
Administration officials say the proceeds from those sales are being placed in U.S.-controlled accounts, including a primary account in Qatar, in order to keep the funds out of the reach of creditors and under American supervision.
A U.S. official told Reuters that the oil sales are part of a broader $2 billion agreement, with further shipments and sales expected in the coming weeks.
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