US seizes another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN
(CNN) — The US has seized another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea, US Southern Command said on Friday.
US troops, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, “launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford and apprehended Motor/Tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea without incident,” the command said in a social media post.
The Olina tanker was sailing near Venezuela under a Timor-Leste flag, according to Marine Traffic.
The crude oil tanker had been sanctioned by the United States, according to the Treasury Department, which listed it under a different name and Panama flag but used the same unique ship identifying number as the Olina. It was listed under Ukraine/Russia-related sanctions.
“Apprehensions like this are backed by the full power” of the US Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, the command said, referring to a group of warships that conducts air, sea and land operations.
The news comes after the US seized two Venezuela-linked tankers this week, including a Russian-flagged vessel in the Atlantic Ocean and another tanker in the Caribbean.
The White House said earlier this week that President Donald Trump was “not afraid” to continue seizing sanctioned oil tankers despite concerns that it could ratchet up tensions with Russia and China.
“He’s going to enforce our policy that’s best for the United States of America,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday. “That means enforcing the embargo against all dark fleet vessels that are illegally transporting oil.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
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