US files for warrants to seize dozens more Venezuela-linked oil tankers

LONDON, January 14 ------ The U.S. government has filed for court warrants to seize dozens more tankers linked to the Venezuelan oil trade, four sources familiar with the matter said, as Washington consolidates control of oil shipments in and out of the South American country.

The U.S. military and Coast Guard have seized five vessels in recent weeks in international waters that were either carrying Venezuelan oil or had done so in the past. The seizures were part of Washington's campaign to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of power, which culminated in U.S. forces capturing him on January 3.

Since then, the administration of President Donald Trump has said it plans to control Venezuela's oil resources indefinitely as it seeks to rebuild the country's dilapidated oil industry. Trump imposed a blockade to prevent sanctioned tankers from shipping Venezuelan oil in December that brought exports close to a standstill. Shipments have resumed this week under U.S. supervision.

ACTIONS ENABLE CONFISCATIONS

The U.S. government has filed multiple civil forfeiture actions in district courts, primarily in Washington, D.C., enabling the seizure and confiscation of oil cargoes and ships that have been involved in the trade, the sources told Reuters. They declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. The exact number of seizure warrants the U.S. has filed for, and how many it has already received, is unclear, the sources said, because the filings and legal orders are not public. Dozens have been filed, they added.

The vessels already intercepted were either under U.S. sanctions or part of a "shadow fleet" of unregulated ships that disguise their origins to move oil from key sanctioned producers, Iran, Russia or Venezuela. There are still many tankers at sea carrying Venezuelan crude to the top buyer China, or that have previously done so. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on many of those vessels for facilitating oil trade with Venezuela or Iran.

Source: reuters.com