Venezuela cannot move oil or generate revenue without US approval under sanctions

US European Command announced the seizure of the merchant vessel Bella 1 for “violations of US sanctions” in a social media post. The US had been pursuing the tanker since last month after it tried to evade a US blockade on sanctioned oil vessels around Venezuela.

US forces take control of tanker Sophia in Caribbean

Then, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem revealed that US forces also took control of the tanker Sophia in the Caribbean. Noem said in a social media post both ships were “either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it.”

Noem said that both ships are part of a large “ghost fleet” of sanctioned vessels that carry oil from Russia, Iran and Venezuela in defiance of Western sanctions, mostly to customers in Asia.

The Trump administration is “selectively” removing sanctions to enable the shipping and sale of Venezuelan oil to markets worldwide, according to an outline of the policies published Wednesday by the Energy Department.

Oil sales to begin immediately

The oil sales are slated to begin immediately with the sale of 30 million to 50 million barrels from the South American country. The US government said the sales “will continue indefinitely” with the proceeds settling in US-controlled accounts at “globally recognized banks.” The money would then be disbursed to the US and Venezuelan populations at the “discretion” of Trump's government.

The two ship seizures come just days after US military forces conducted a surprise nighttime raid on Venezuela's capital of Caracas and captured then-President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, whom President Donald Trump's administration has accused of partnering with drug traffickers.