Washington — The United States has seized another tanker linked to Venezuela’s oil trade, U.S. officials said Thursday, expanding Washington’s enforcement campaign against maritime shipments associated with the country’s sanctioned energy sector.
The vessel, the Veronica, was intercepted in the Caribbean in a pre-dawn operation carried out by U.S. military forces, according to U.S. Southern Command. Officials said the seizure occurred without incident. It marks the sixth Venezuela-linked tanker targeted by U.S. authorities since mid-December.
Southern Command said the tanker was operating in violation of President Donald Trump’s declared maritime quarantine on sanctioned vessels in the region. “The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully,” the command said in a statement.
Shipping records show the Veronica, an Aframax-class tanker flagged under Guyana, departed Venezuelan waters empty in early January and had not returned. U.S. officials said the ship had previously been involved in transporting Venezuelan crude.
The seizure comes ahead of a scheduled meeting between President Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, their first face-to-face encounter since U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month and transferred him to U.S. custody.
Since Maduro’s removal, the Trump administration has moved aggressively to consolidate control over Venezuela’s oil exports, part of a broader effort aimed at reshaping the country’s energy sector. Trump has said the United States intends to oversee Venezuela’s oil resources as part of a long-term plan to rebuild the industry.
U.S. authorities have also sought court warrants to seize dozens of additional tankers linked to Venezuela’s oil trade, according to officials familiar with the matter. Many of the vessels targeted are part of so-called “shadow fleets” used to transport oil from sanctioned producers, often operating with falsified or revoked registrations.
Maritime authorities in Panama, the Cook Islands, and Guyana have said several of the seized vessels were flying false flags or had lost their official registrations prior to interception.
Last week, the United States also seized a Russian-flagged tanker following a transatlantic pursuit, an action that drew sharp condemnation from Moscow.
Trump has praised Machado as a symbol of Venezuela’s democratic opposition but has stopped short of endorsing her as the country’s next leader, citing concerns about domestic political support. A recent classified U.S. intelligence assessment concluded that figures aligned with the former Maduro government remain best positioned to maintain internal stability in the near term.
