Ammon News - More than 30 U.S.-sanctioned oil vessels doing business in Venezuela could face punishment by Washington after the Coast Guard seized a supertanker carrying Venezuelan crude for export, according to shipping data.

The seizure, announced by President Donald Trump on Wednesday, was the first of an oil cargo from Venezuela, which has been under U.S. sanctions since 2019, and the Trump administration's first known action against a Venezuela-related tanker since he ordered a massive military buildup in the region.

The U.S. action, as Trump ratchets up pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, has put many vessel owners, operators and shipping agencies on alert, with many reconsidering whether to set sail from Venezuelan waters in the coming days as planned, shipping sources said.

The targeting of Venezuela-origin cargoes is expected to create short-term export delays and could scare some vessel owners away, experts and analysts say. Washington had not previously interrupted Venezuela's oil exports, which are carried by intermediaries in third-party vessels.

OVER 80 TANKERS WAITING IN OR NEAR VENEZUELA
Venezuela accused the U.S. of "blatant theft," describing the seizure as "an act of international piracy."

The seized supertanker, identified by a risk management group as the Skipper, is part of a "shadow fleet" of ships that carry sanctioned oil to their largest destinations. They often turn off their signal or otherwise disguise their locations.

Reuters