The United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. US President Donald Trump announced this on Wednesday, Reuters news agency reports.
- We have just seized a tanker off the coast of Venezuela, a very large tanker, very large, the largest ever actually, and other things are happening as well, Trump said.
Reuters writes that the seizure has caused oil prices to rise, and that it will likely increase political tensions between the United States and Venezuela. Trump has ordered a massive buildup of the US military presence in Latin America. Recently, fighter jets and tens of thousands of US soldiers have been sent to the region, among other things.
The seizure of the oil tanker may be a sign that the United States will start going after Venezuela's oil, which is the country's most important source of income, Reuters reports.
According to the American media outlet CNN, Trump did not elaborate on the reason for the seizure. The president simply said that it took place "for a very good reason". He was also asked what would happen to the oil that the oil tanker was transporting.
- We'll keep it, I think, is Trump's response, according to CNN.
After Trump's announcement on social media X, US Attorney General Pam Bondi also reported on the incident.
Here it is stated that the FBI, the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) police unit and the US Coast Guard were responsible for the seizure.
According to the minister, they acted on a court order to seize the oil tanker. According to Bondi, it was used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
- For several years, the oil tanker has been subject to sanctions from the United States due to its involvement in an illegal oil transport network that supports foreign terrorist organizations, Bondi writes.
British Vanguard, which deals with maritime risk assessments, has announced, according to Reuters, that the oil tanker "Skipper" is believed to have been seized off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday. However, it has not immediately been officially confirmed by the United States that it is the "Skipper".
Guyana's maritime authorities said on Thursday night that the "Skipper" was carrying Venezuelan oil and mistakenly sailed under the Guyanese flag without being registered in Guyana.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has spoken to his supporters in the capital Caracas following Trump's announcement, the AFP news agency reports.
- From Venezuela, we ask for and demand an end to the illegal and brutal interventionism by the US government in Venezuela and in Latin America, Maduro says.
According to Reuters, oil prices have risen after the announcement about the oil tanker. The price of Brent oil rose by 0.4 percent to $62.21 - 398 kroner - per barrel. US West Texas Intermediate oil also rose 0.4 percent to $58.46 - 374 kroner - per barrel.
/ritzau/
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