US in process of seizing fifth tanker tied to Venezuelan oil

US officials said the tanker Olina is being seized in the Caribbean near Trinidad; shipping records and an industry source say the vessel had sailed from Venezuela and was falsely flying Timor Leste's flag.

US officials said they are in the process of seizing the tanker Olina in the Caribbean near Trinidad. The action is described as the fifth such interdiction in recent weeks and is linked to efforts to control Venezuelan oil exports. Public shipping records and an industry source said the vessel had previously sailed from Venezuela and was sailing under Timor Leste's flag, which appeared to be false. The ship had earlier been sanctioned by the US under a previous name for ties to a so-called shadow fleet. Known details: - US officials said the seizure is taking place near Trinidad and is the fifth interdiction reported in recent weeks. - Equasis, a public shipping database, showed the Olina was sailing under Timor Leste's flag, which is reported as false. - Vanguard, a maritime risk firm, reported the vessel's AIS tracker was last active about 52 days ago in the Venezuelan exclusive economic zone northeast of Curaçao. - An industry source said the Olina left Venezuela last week fully loaded with oil as part of a flotilla and was returning to the region. - The US imposed sanctions on the ship in January last year when it was named Minerva M for links to a so-called shadow fleet. Summary: The reported seizure is part of a series of US actions aimed at curbing sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments and follows what officials and industry sources describe as prolonged pursuit of linked tankers. Undetermined at this time.