US Forces Board Oil Tanker Under Trump's Blockade

US forces moved Saturday against another ship near Venezuela, days after President Trump ordered a "complete blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving the country, American officials said. The operation is being carried out by the Coast Guard with support from at least 11 warships deployed in the region, the Washington Post reports, among them the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford. Last week, the US seized a sanctioned oil tanker that had departed Venezuela. Saturday's stop occurred in international waters, per Reuters.

The officials did not specify the cargo or other details, but one characterized the action as "consented boarding," per the AP, with the tanker stopping voluntarily and allowing US personnel to board. The vessel is sailing under a Panamanian flag. Despite Trump's announcement, the tanker boarded on Saturday, called the Centuries, does not appear on the administration's list of tankers under US sanctions, per the New York Times. Industry information is that the cargo belongs to an oil trader based in China that takes Venezuelan crude oil to Chinese refineries. China is the biggest customer for Venezuelan crude, per France 24.

The Trump administration's expanded campaign to pressure President Nicolas Maduro's government targets more than 30 tankers in the Caribbean that the Treasury Department has designated as sanctioned, ship-tracking firm TankerTrackers.com and intelligence company Kpler estimate. At least 12 of those vessels, including the Skipper, seized last week, are said by Kpler to be carrying Venezuelan crude. Since September, American forces have also conducted 27 strikes on small boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing more than 100 people on vessels that US authorities said were transporting narcotics. The Pentagon and White House did not immediately comment about Saturday's operation.