Two US officials today reported that the US Coast Guard, in coordination with Joint Task Force Southern Spear, intercepted the Olina on the night of 8/1 in the Caribbean Sea, near Trinidad. This action aligns with Washington's ongoing efforts to curb Venezuela's oil exports.

According to the public shipping database Equasis, the Olina was flying a false flag, disguised as a Timor Leste vessel. UK-based maritime risk management firm Vanguard reported the vessel's automatic identification system (AIS) was last recorded active 52 days ago within Venezuela's exclusive economic zone.

"The interception followed a prolonged pursuit of tankers involved in sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments in the region", Vanguard stated.

The oil tanker Olina in the Yellow Sea in 7/2025. Photo: *Vesseltracker*

The Olina, fully laden with oil, departed Venezuela last week with other vessels, shortly after the US arrested Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on 3/1. The tanker then returned to Venezuela, still full of oil, amid a US blockade of the country's oil exports, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The US sanctioned this oil tanker in 1/2025, when it was named Minerva M. Washington considered it part of a "dark fleet" of vessels operating without strict oversight or clear insurance.

US President Donald Trump last December announced a blockade on sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on 7/1 reiterated, "the blockade on illicit and sanctioned Venezuelan oil remains in effect worldwide". The Olina is the fifth oil tanker intercepted by the US in recent weeks.