The United States on Thursday seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, ahead of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media that the U.S. Coast Guard had boarded the Motor Tanker Veronica early Thursday. She said the ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of Trump's "established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean."
U.S. Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to take part in the operation alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which Noem said conducted the boarding as in previous raids. The military said the ship was seized "without incident."
"The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully," Southern Command said in a statement.
Noem posted a brief video that appeared to show part of the ship's capture. The black-and-white footage showed helicopters hovering over the deck of a merchant vessel while armed troops dropped down on the deck by rope.
The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by Trump's administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela's oil products and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.
The Veronica last transmitted its location on Jan. 3 as being at anchor off the coast of Aruba, just north of Venezuela's main oil terminal. According to the data it transmitted at the time, it was partially filled with crude.
The ship is currently listed as flying the flag of Guyana and is considered part of the shadow fleet that moves cargoes of oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.
According to its registration data, the ship also has been known as the Gallileo, owned and managed by a company in Russia. In addition, a tanker with the same registration number previously sailed under the name Pegas and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for moving cargoes of illicit Russian oil.
As with prior posts about such raids, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that "there is no outrunning or escaping American justice."
However, other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear that they see the actions as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela's battered oil industry and restore its economy.
Trump met with executives from oil companies last week to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
The latest seizure came ahead of Thursday's meeting between Trump and Machado at the White House, in their first face-to-face meeting since the U.S. ousted her long-time foe, Maduro.
The talks could affect how the U.S. president seeks to shape the South American country's political future.
Trump has previously called Machado a "freedom fighter" but dismissed the idea of installing her to lead Venezuela after ousting Maduro, saying she did not have enough domestic support.
Machado, who fled Venezuela in a daring seaborne escape in December, finds herself competing for Trump's ear with members of Venezuela's government and seeking to ensure she has a role in governing the nation going forward.
A classified CIA assessment presented to Trump concluded that Maduro loyalists, including Rodriguez, were best positioned to maintain stability.
