US Seizes Another Oil Tanker in Ongoing Crackdown on Venezuelan Exports

Sat Jan 10 2026 22:25:13 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

US forces have captured the tanker Olina as part of a sustained effort to disrupt Venezuelan oil exports, with officials warning that there is no safe refuge for those violating embargoes.

The United States has seized another oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the Caribbean, continuing its campaign to assert control over the country's oil exports. The Olina was apprehended after a concerted effort by US Southern Command, Marines, and the Department of Homeland Security, marking the fifth vessel seizure in recent weeks amidst an ongoing naval blockade.

US forces have seized another tanker in the Caribbean Sea, officials said, as Washington continues its efforts to control exports of Venezuelan oil.

Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: 'there is no safe haven for criminals,' US Southern Command said on X.

The X post on Friday morning stated that Marines and sailors, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, apprehended the Olina oil tanker.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem commented that the Olina was another 'ghost fleet' tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil and was seized after it departed Venezuela attempting to evade US forces.

Noem posted a video online appearing to show troops dropping onto a ship from a helicopter. The tanker, the Olina, is on multiple countries' sanctions lists.

It is the fifth vessel seized by the US in recent weeks.

Maritime risk company Vanguard Tech stated that the vessel was attempting to break through the US naval blockade in the Caribbean. The company's analysis indicated that the vessel's location tracker was last active 52 days ago, northeast of Curacao, and that the seizure follows a prolonged pursuit of tankers linked to sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments in the region.