US Seizes New Sanctioned Tanker in Caribbean
The US military seized Sagitta, an oil tanker said to be ferrying Venezuelan oil against US restrictions, in the Caribbean Sea. The seizure came “without incident,” according to the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).
This morning, US military forces, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, apprehended Motor Vessel Sagitta without incident, SOUTHCOM said in a social media update. The seizure was part of US President Donald Trump’s campaign to “quarantine” sanctioned vessels, coinciding with the recent US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
The apprehension of another tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean demonstrates our resolve to ensure that the only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully, the update states. The seizure marks the seventh shadow oil tanker seized by the US.
Russian Ties Emerge
While the US SOUTHCOM did not indicate Sagitta‘s relations with Russia, the vessel has been listed in sanction databases for ferrying Russian crude to China and India in the past as part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet. The tanker during the period of the G7+ embargo and price-cap policy on Russian crude oil/oil products is involved in the export of Russian crude oil/oil products from Russian ports in the Baltic Sea and the Pacific region mainly to China and India, and resorts to the practice of turning off the [Automatic Identification System] AIS signal, conducting so-called ‘dark activities’ at sea, database Open Sanctions wrote.
International Sanctions
The vessel is under sanctions by Ukraine, the US, Canada, Australia, the EU, Switzerland, and the UK. On Jan. 7, the US captured the Marinera, a Russian-flagged vessel under sanctions. It was captured after evading a US blockade on Venezuelan oil for over two weeks and being pursued across the Atlantic Ocean.
The Marinera consists of a 28-member crew – two from Russia, three from India, six from Georgia, and 17 from Ukraine. Moscow condemned the seizure, calling it “illegal,” though its foreign ministry later said Trump had promised to release the Russian sailors. As of Jan. 20, however, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the US had yet to fulfill its promise.
The US military’s continued efforts to seize sanctioned vessels demonstrate its commitment to enforcing international sanctions and preventing the illegal export of oil. The seizure of Sagitta and Marinera highlights the ongoing struggle between the US and Russia over Venezuela’s oil sector.
Original Article: US Seizes New Sanctioned Tanker in Caribbean — Kyivpost