US Tightens Oil Blockade, Dozens of Tanker Ships Leave Venezuela

AKARTA - A total of 16 oil tankers on the United States sanctions list have reportedly left Venezuelan ports in recent days.

Anadolu quoted a report by The New York Times, saying the move was allegedly an attempt to avoid the US-imposed naval blockade on Venezuelan oil exports.

Based on satellite imagery, shipping data, and information from industry sources, four tracked vessels sailed east of the Venezuelan coast while disguising their identities or falsifying their locations. This tactic is known as spoofing.

In addition, as many as 12 other tankers reportedly stopped broadcasting tracking signals altogether and were no longer detected in subsequent satellite images.

As reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, January 6, the report said 15 of the 16 ships that moved on Saturday (3/1) had been sanctioned by the US because they had previously transported oil from Iran and Russia.

Industry sources said the four vessels tracked had departed without permission from Venezuela's interim authorities overseeing the oil sector.

All the ships had been berthed at the export terminal for weeks before leaving the port at the weekend.

The United States imposed a total blockade on the Venezuelan oil tanker that was sanctioned on December 16, with the aim of cutting off the country's revenue stream.

US officials said enforcement was focused on ships of the shadow fleet that were sanctioned, while exports limited by US companies remained allowed.

Since the blockade was imposed, US forces have seized or intercepted a number of tankers trying to transport Venezuelan crude oil.

Venezuela is under pressure to quickly offload its crude as storage facilities are nearing maximum capacity since the blockade began. Meanwhile, halting production risks damaging the country's oil storage and infrastructure.