CARACAS, December 13 (ANI): Venezuela’s oil exports have sharply declined following the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off its coast this week and the imposition of new sanctions on shipping companies doing business with the country, Al Jazeera reported.
Oil tanker movements into and out of Venezuelan waters have nearly come to a halt, sources cited by Al Jazeera said, after the U.S. announced it would seize additional vessels as part of its military pressure on President Nicolás Maduro.
The seizure of the Skipper tanker on Wednesday marked the first U.S. capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed on Caracas in 2019. The action comes amid a U.S. military build-up in the Caribbean, which appears aimed at removing Maduro from power.
Threats of further seizures have left tankers carrying about 11 million barrels of oil and fuel stuck in Venezuelan waters, hesitant to venture further, according to data cited by Al Jazeera.
Only tankers chartered by U.S. oil company Chevron have departed ports and sailed into international waters with Venezuelan crude since the Skipper’s seizure, Reuters reported. Chevron operates in Venezuela with U.S. government authorization through joint ventures with state-run oil company PDVSA and can export its oil to the United States.
Chevron confirmed that it has been operating in Venezuela “without disruption and in full compliance with laws and regulations applicable,” exporting two cargoes of Venezuelan heavy crude to the U.S. since the Skipper’s seizure.
The Skipper was taken to Houston, Texas, on Friday for unloading of its confiscated fuel cargo. Speaking at the White House, President Donald Trump reiterated that the U.S. military will begin strikes on land against drug trafficking targets in Latin America, according to Al Jazeera.
Trump claimed that U.S. forces, which have been targeting vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific for weeks—killing approximately 90 people—have intercepted 96 percent of drugs trafficked to the U.S. by water. While the U.S. asserts it is acting against drug trafficking, international law experts have said the attacks may constitute extrajudicial killings in international waters.
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