Sanctioned Oil Tankers Depart Venezuela Amid Tight US Blockade

At least 16 oil tankers, under US sanctions, have departed Venezuelan waters in recent days following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by US forces on January 10, 2023. According to maritime surveillance analysts from Tanker Trackers, these vessels are carrying approximately 12 million barrels of crude oil and refined oil products.

Four of the tankers were identified in satellite images from the European Copernicus programme, with their trajectory indicating a northern route from Venezuela. The identified vessels include the Aquila II, Bertha, Veronica III, and Vesna. All four ships are subject to US sanctions, falling under the naval blockade imposed by former President Donald Trump on December 16, 2022, which targets sanctioned oil tankers operating in or out of Venezuela.

The Aquila II, Bertha, and Veronica III are all transporting crude oil, while the Vesna was reported to be empty. Satellite data confirmed that the Vesna, sanctioned due to suspected ties with Iran and Russia, was located approximately 40 kilometres east of Grenada on January 14, 2023, having moved around 500 kilometres from its position the previous day.

In addition to these four tankers, eleven other vessels whose locations could not be confirmed on January 15 are also under US sanctions. These include the Volans, Lydya N, Lyra, Merope, Min Hang, M Sophia, Nayara (also known as Themis), Olina (formerly known as Minerva M), Rosalin (also referred to as Nurkez), Thalia III, and Veronica (known as Pegas). A list detailing these vessels was supplied to AFP by the commercial information platform Kpler.

Interestingly, the final tanker, the Sea Maverick, is not under US sanctions but is facing restrictions from the United Kingdom and the European Union due to alleged connections to a phantom fleet involved in transporting Russian oil.

Most of the sanctioned oil tankers that have recently departed Venezuela have either turned off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders or are sending out false GPS signals. An analysis conducted by AFP indicates that the US blockade could potentially impact as many as 600 oil tankers currently under US sanctions, as reported by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control and the International Maritime Organization.

This ongoing situation highlights the complexities of global oil trade and the significant impact of sanctions on the movement of vessels in international waters.