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US seizes tanker off Venezuela

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Updated 21.25 | Published 21.11

The US has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, according to President Donald Trump.

– We just seized a tanker off the coast of Venezuela, a big tanker, very big, Trump tells reporters.

– And other things are happening, so you'll see later, Trump continues.

The ship most recently docked in Venezuela, a US government source told Bloomberg. It has reportedly been subject to US sanctions since before.

The move could make it much more difficult for Venezuela to export oil, Bloomberg reports. Most of Venezuelan oil goes to China, usually through intermediaries, with steep discounts due to the sanctions.

“The US seizing a Venezuelan tanker is a clear escalation from financial sanctions to physical bans – it raises the stakes for Caracas and all those who facilitate its exports,” says Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at research firm Rystad Energy.

 

Ukraine: Attack on Russian “shadow tanker”

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Published 20.19

Ukraine has attacked another oil tanker in the Black Sea that is linked to the Russian shadow fleet, Ukrainian intelligence sources told AFP and several other media outlets.

The tanker has suffered “critical damage” according to the Ukrainian sources. Unconfirmed video footage shows explosions in the stern of the ship.

It is said to be the ship “Dashan”, flagged in the East African country of the Comoros, which was on its way to Novorossiysk in southern Russia with its transponder switched off when it was hit by Ukrainian naval drones, reports Ukrainian public service company Suspilne.

At the end of November, two empty tankers were attacked off the coast of Turkey in the Black Sea. According to Ukrainian sources, the ships belonged to the Russian shadow fleet, whose aging ships are used to circumvent Western sanctions.