It is the fifth vessel seized by the US in recent weeks. Olina reportedly had left Venezuela last week.
The US military “apprehended” the Olina oil tanker in the Caribbean “without incident” early on Friday, the US Southern Command posted on X.
“Apprehensions like this are backed by the full power of the US Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, including the ready and lethal platforms of the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale,” the post added, referring to three US ships.
Reuters news agency reported, based on an industry source, that Olina had departed from Venezuela last week, and that it was falsely flying the flag of Timor-Leste.
It’s the fifth tanker seized by the US government in recent weeks, as US President Donald Trump’s aims to limit Venezuela’s oil exports.
The seizure of the tanker comes after the US military kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last weekend. Delcy Rodriguez has now taken over as Venezuela’s interim leader.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated…
Edited by: Sean Sinico
DW News
