US slaps sanctions on oil tankers and companies linked to Venezuela
Maduro’s regime increasingly relies on a shadow fleet of ships (Photo: Getty Images)
The Trump administration has added oil companies and tankers linked to Venezuela to its list of sanctioned vessels, according to Bloomberg.
On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed four companies connected to Venezuela’s oil industry on its sanctions list. These include:
- Aries Global Investment LTD
- Corniola Limited
- Krape Myrtle Co LTD
- Winky International Limited
Sanctions were also imposed on four shipping companies whose vessels are linked to the above firms: Della, Nord Star, Rosalind, and Valiant.
“These vessels, some of which are part of the shadow fleet serving Venezuela, continue to provide financial resources that fuel Maduro’s illegitimate narco-terrorist regime,” the US Treasury said in a statement.
The statement added that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s regime is increasingly relying on the shadow fleet to evade sanctions and generate revenue for its destabilizing operations.
Bloomberg notes that the sanctions are the latest step in US President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against Maduro in connection with alleged drug trafficking operations.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Treasury imposed sanctions on 10 individuals and entities based in Iran and Venezuela, who are believed to be involved in arms trafficking.
What preceded this
On December 16, US President Donald Trump announced a full blockade of oil tankers under sanctions that were entering or leaving Venezuelan waters.
In recent weeks, US forces have intercepted two tankers. A third tanker, pursued by US forces, turned away from Venezuela and disappeared into the Atlantic Ocean.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Treasury imposed sanctions on 10 individuals and entities based in Iran and Venezuela, who are believed to be involved in arms trafficking.
On Monday, Trump also announced that the US had struck a facility in Venezuela, hitting loading docks that were reportedly used by ships for drug transfers.
Trump has long threatened to expand strikes to include land-based targets in Venezuela.
