WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. forces seized another Venezuela-linked oil tanker on Thursday morning, following a fifth seizure last week, the U.S. Southern Command said on X.
"In another pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and apprehended Motor/Tanker Veronica without incident," said the command.
"The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully," the command said, adding that the Trump administration will continue the crackdown on sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.
The crackdown has a significant impact on Venezuela's oil exports, with its crude loadings falling to about half of normal levels this month, according to a Wall Street Journal report, citing shipping analytics provider Kpler.
The only ships that are loading crude at Venezuela's ports are tankers bound for the United States and those transporting oil to Venezuelan refineries, the company said.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said last week that the United States will not only market stored oil in Venezuela but also control the sales of oil output from the country indefinitely. ■