{"id":1206,"date":"2026-01-10T04:13:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T20:13:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/?p=1206"},"modified":"2026-01-10T04:13:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T20:13:28","slug":"shadow-fleet-targeted-us-intercepts-fifth-oil-tanker-linked-to-venezuela","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/?p=1206","title":{"rendered":"Shadow fleet targeted: US intercepts fifth oil tanker linked to Venezuela"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p> <div> <p lang=\"EN-GB\" paraeid=\"{447f544a-05fe-424a-a098-511fd728e5eb}{118}\" paraid=\"1361501973\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\">US forces have interdicted a fifth oil tanker linked to Venezuela, escalating Washington\u2019s maritime enforcement campaign aimed at disrupting what it describes as illicit oil exports from sanctioned states.\u00a0<\/p> <p lang=\"EN-GB\" paraeid=\"{447f544a-05fe-424a-a098-511fd728e5eb}{137}\" paraid=\"981145144\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\">US\u00a0Southern Command confirmed on January 9 that the\u00a0oil tanker\u00a0Olina\u00a0was seized in the Caribbean during a pre-dawn operation led by the\u00a0US\u00a0Coast Guard, with support from the\u00a0US\u00a0Navy and Marine Corps. Two US\u00a0officials told\u00a0CBS News\u00a0that the vessel was\u00a0in the process of being\u00a0formally seized at the time of the announcement.\u00a0<\/p> <p lang=\"EN-GB\" paraeid=\"{447f544a-05fe-424a-a098-511fd728e5eb}{142}\" paraid=\"554581105\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\">Marines and sailors launched from the\u00a0USS\u00a0Gerald R\u00a0Ford\u00a0aircraft carrier to support the Department of Homeland Security, Southern Command said, framing the action as part of its mission to \u201cdefend the homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere.\u201d\u00a0<\/p> <p lang=\"EN-GB\" paraeid=\"{447f544a-05fe-424a-a098-511fd728e5eb}{147}\" paraid=\"183380025\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\">Unclassified footage released by the command showed a US\u00a0military helicopter landing on the tanker\u2019s deck, followed by personnel conducting a search of the vessel.\u00a0<\/p> <p lang=\"EN-GB\" paraeid=\"{447f544a-05fe-424a-a098-511fd728e5eb}{152}\" paraid=\"512401618\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cOnce again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: there is no safe haven for criminals,\u201d Southern Command said in a statement posted on X (formally twitter).\u00a0<\/p> <div class=\"embedcode\"> <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"> <p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\" xml:lang=\"en\">Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: \u201cthere is no safe haven for criminals.\u201d<\/p> <p>In a pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the USS Gerald R.\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/StHo4ufcdx\">pic.twitter.com\/StHo4ufcdx<\/a><\/p> <p>\u2014 U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Southcom\/status\/2009632097858711656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 9, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote> <\/div> <p lang=\"EN-GB\" paraeid=\"{447f544a-05fe-424a-a098-511fd728e5eb}{157}\" paraid=\"961906725\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\"><strong>Sanctioned vessel, False flag allegations<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p> <p lang=\"EN-GB\" paraeid=\"{447f544a-05fe-424a-a098-511fd728e5eb}{166}\" paraid=\"1260223069\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\">According to US government records cited by the\u00a0<em>Associated Press<\/em>, the\u00a0Olina\u00a0was previously sanctioned under the name\u00a0Minerva M\u00a0for transporting Russian oil while flagged in Panama. The ship is now listed as flying the flag of\u00a0Timor-Leste, though international shipping registries have flagged the claim as invalid, describing it as a\u00a0false flag registration.\u00a0<\/p> <p lang=\"EN-GB\" paraeid=\"{447f544a-05fe-424a-a098-511fd728e5eb}{171}\" paraid=\"1523133625\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\">Records also show that the vessel\u2019s registered owner and manager were changed in July to a company based in\u00a0Hong Kong, a practice often associated with opaque ownership structures used by sanction-evading fleets.\u00a0<\/p> <p lang=\"EN-GB\" paraeid=\"{447f544a-05fe-424a-a098-511fd728e5eb}{176}\" paraid=\"838879024\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\">Ship-tracking databases\u00a0indicate\u00a0that the\u00a0Olina\u00a0last transmitted its location in\u00a0November, north of Venezuela\u2019s coast in the Caribbean. Since then, the tanker has\u00a0operated\u00a0\u201cdark,\u201d with its location beacon switched off \u2014 a tactic\u00a0frequently\u00a0linked to illicit maritime activity.\u00a0<\/p> <p lang=\"EN-GB\" paraeid=\"{447f544a-05fe-424a-a098-511fd728e5eb}{181}\" paraid=\"1135036088\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\">The vessel\u00a0is capable of carrying\u00a0up to\u00a0890,000 barrels of oil, cargo valued at approximately\u00a0$53 million\u00a0at current global prices of around $60 per barrel.\u00a0<\/p> <p lang=\"EN-GB\" paraeid=\"{447f544a-05fe-424a-a098-511fd728e5eb}{186}\" paraid=\"308385489\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\"><strong>Part of a broader US enforcement drive<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p> <p lang=\"EN-GB\" paraeid=\"{447f544a-05fe-424a-a098-511fd728e5eb}{195}\" paraid=\"1544093908\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\">The seizure marks the fifth tanker interdicted by US forces as part of a broader push under President Donald Trump\u2019s administration to restrict the global movement of Venezuela\u2019s oil exports. Two other tankers were intercepted earlier this week \u2014 one in the\u00a0North Atlantic\u00a0and another in the\u00a0Caribbean Sea, US\u00a0officials said.\u00a0<\/p> <p lang=\"EN-GB\" paraeid=\"{447f544a-05fe-424a-a098-511fd728e5eb}{205}\" paraid=\"1651170339\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\">US\u00a0European Command confirmed the seizure of the\u00a0Marinera, a Venezuela-linked tanker formerly known as\u00a0Bella-1, after it was pursued from the coast of South America. Meanwhile, Southern Command announced that another vessel,\u00a0M\/T\u00a0Sophia, was intercepted in Caribbean waters while allegedly conducting illicit activities.\u00a0<\/p> <p lang=\"EN-GB\" paraeid=\"{447f544a-05fe-424a-a098-511fd728e5eb}{205}\" paraid=\"1651170339\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\">US officials say such ships form part of a so-called \u201cshadow fleet\u201d \u2014 a network of aging tankers that operate with falsified documents, switched-off transponders and shifting ownership to move oil from sanctioned producers such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran.<\/p> <p lang=\"EN-GB\" paraeid=\"{447f544a-05fe-424a-a098-511fd728e5eb}{210}\" paraid=\"1756182336\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\">Venezuelan President\u00a0Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u00a0has rejected US accusations that the vessels are being used for illicit trade. His government has accused Washington of\u00a0plundering Venezuelan resources\u00a0under the guise of law enforcement and violating international maritime norms.<\/p> <\/div> <p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>US seizes oil tanker, Venezuela oil sanctions, fifth tanker interdicted, Olina oil tanker, US Southern Command, Caribbean tanker seizure, shadow fleet oil ships, Venezuelan crude exports, Trump administration sanctions, false flag tanker, illicit oil trade, US Coast Guard Navy operation#Shadow #fleet #targeted #intercepts #oil #tanker #linked #Venezuela1767989608<\/p> ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US forces have interdicted a fifth oil tanker linked to Venezuela, escalating Washington\u2019s maritime enforcement campaign aimed at disrupting what it describes as illicit oil exports from sanctioned states.\u00a0 US\u00a0Southern Command confirmed on January 9 that the\u00a0oil tanker\u00a0Olina\u00a0was seized in the Caribbean during a pre-dawn operation led by the\u00a0US\u00a0Coast Guard, with support from the\u00a0US\u00a0Navy and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[977,981,974,985,982,987,989,988,975,984,978,482,986,980,983,470,976,990,473,979],"class_list":["post-1206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content-marketing","tag-caribbean-tanker-seizure","tag-false-flag-tanker","tag-fifth-tanker-interdicted","tag-fleet","tag-illicit-oil-trade","tag-intercepts","tag-linked","tag-oil","tag-olina-oil-tanker","tag-shadow","tag-shadow-fleet-oil-ships","tag-tanker","tag-targeted","tag-trump-administration-sanctions","tag-us-coast-guard-navy-operation","tag-us-seizes-oil-tanker","tag-us-southern-command","tag-venezuela","tag-venezuela-oil-sanctions","tag-venezuelan-crude-exports"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}