The US is in the process of seizing a tanker in the Caribbean as Washington continues efforts to thwart alleged drug smuggling.
The ship, The Olina, was falsely flying the flag of Timor-Leste and had previously sailed from Venezuela, Reuters reports.
The vessel was intercepted near Trinidad on Friday in what a US official described as the fifth tanker seizure in recent weeks, as Washington ramps up efforts to clamp down on Venezuelan oil exports and suspected smuggling operations in the region.
According to public shipping database Equasis, The Olina was falsely registered under the flag of Timor-Leste. A shipping source familiar with the operation said the tanker had sailed from Venezuela before returning to the Caribbean, where it was seized by US authorities.
The latest move forms part of a broader US crackdown on so-called “dark fleet” tankers accused of evading sanctions and disguising their origins through false documentation and flag manipulation. Washington has accused vessels operating out of Venezuela of contributing to illegal trade networks, including drug trafficking and sanctions-busting oil shipments.
Caracas has previously condemned similar interdictions, branding them 'acts of piracy', as tensions continue to simmer between the US and the Venezuelan government over oil exports, sanctions enforcement and regional security.
