U.S. Seizes Olina Tanker as Crackdown on Venezuelan Oil Exports Intensifies

The United States has seized the oil tanker Olina in the Caribbean, marking the fifth vessel targeted in recent weeks as Washington escalates efforts to enforce sanctions and curb Venezuelan oil exports. U.S. officials confirmed the operation on Friday, underscoring a renewed and aggressive push against what authorities describe as Venezuela’s “shadow fleet.”

According to public shipping database Equasis, the Olina was falsely flying the flag of Timor-Leste. The tanker had previously departed Venezuela fully loaded with crude oil and later returned to the region, according to an industry source with direct knowledge of the situation. In a pre-dawn operation, U.S. Marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, deployed from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, apprehended the vessel in the Caribbean Sea without resistance, U.S. Southern Command said in a statement posted on X.

U.S. officials emphasized that the seizure sends a strong message to operators attempting to evade sanctions. The Olinawas last week part of a flotilla of tankers that left Venezuela carrying oil owned by state producer PDVSA. The vessel was reportedly attempting to return to Venezuelan waters after the U.S. reinforced its global blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil exports. British maritime risk firm Vanguard noted that the tanker’s AIS tracking signal had been inactive for 52 days, with its last known position in Venezuela’s exclusive economic zone northeast of Curaçao, a tactic commonly associated with dark fleet operations.

The Olina had already been sanctioned by the U.S. in January last year under its former name, Minerva M, for alleged involvement in illicit oil shipments with limited regulation and insurance. Earlier this week, U.S. forces also seized the tanker M Sophia, another vessel linked to the same flotilla. Several other tankers have since reversed course to avoid interdiction, while others continue heading back toward Venezuela.

Pentagon officials said the enforcement campaign remains active worldwide, reinforcing Washington’s stance that sanctioned Venezuelan oil has no safe passage. PDVSA has not commented on the seizures, and it remains unclear whether further action will be taken against additional vessels.