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The US has started chasing another banned oil tanker belonging to Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea. The Trump administration is continuously targeting the Shadow Fleet. Venezuela has called it piracy. Even within America, this action is being described as a role of war.
The tension between America and Venezuela once again seems to be reaching a dangerous point. The US Coast Guard on Sunday began pursuing another banned oil tanker belonging to Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea. This action has taken place at a time when the Trump administration has announced the seizure of an oil tanker for the second time in less than two weeks. A ship was caught on Saturday. A senior US official associated with this operation confirmed that the ship being pursued is part of Venezuela’s so-called Shadow Fleet.
How was the ship hiding?
According to the officer, this tanker was trying to avoid sanctions by flying a false flag and an order for judicial seizure was also issued against it. The US Defense Ministry and the Department of Homeland Security have directed questions on this action to the White House. However, the White House has not yet given any official statement on this latest operation. A day before this, in the early hours of Saturday, America had seized Sentry’s, a Panama-flagged ship.
Two ships were seized earlier also
The White House described it as a false flag ship carrying stolen Venezuelan oil. Earlier on December 10, the US Coast Guard and Navy had seized another banned tanker named Skipper, which was sailing in the sea without any national flag. After these actions, President Donald Trump had openly said that America will blockade oil tankers against Venezuela. Trump is continuously increasing pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
On what basis is Trump taking possession of the oil tanker?
Trump had recently demanded that Venezuela return the assets of American companies that were seized years ago. Based on this, he justified the blockade of oil tankers. America alleges that the income from these ships is being used in drug smuggling and illegal activities. Venezuela’s oil industry was once dominated by American companies, but the situation changed after nationalization. In 2014, an international arbitration panel ordered Venezuela to pay $1.6 billion to Exxon Mobil, a dispute that continues to this day.
What did Trump say on seizing American ships?
Maduro launched a scathing attack on the US on Telegram on Sunday, saying his country has been facing psychological terror, piracy and attacks on oil tankers for months. He said that Venezuela will now accelerate the pace of its revolution. Questions are being raised on this policy even within America. Republican Senator Rand Paul called the tanker seizure an act of war. Meanwhile, Democrat Senator Tim Kaine said that military action without Congress’s approval is against Trump’s promise not to wage war.
Trump is also attacking boats
This strategy of the Trump administration is not limited to tankers only. At least 104 people have died in 28 attacks on ships allegedly linked to drug trafficking in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since September. Human rights organizations and parliamentarians say that concrete evidence for these attacks has not been made public. The statement of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has further increased the controversy. He said that Trump will keep flying the planes until Maduro kneels down.
