The US seized two Venezuela-linked oil tankers in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, one of which was sailing under a Russian flag, as part of President Donald Trump's aggressive efforts to regulate oil flows in the Americas and force Venezuela's socialist government to become allies.

After arresting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a military raid Saturday in Caracas, the US stepped up its blockade of sanctioned vessels sailing to and from the South American nation, a member of the OPEC oil producing group.

The White House also said it plans to lift some sanctions Trump imposed on Venezuelan oil in 2019 during his first term.

A weeks-long chase in the Atlantic Ocean ended Wednesday morning when the US Coast Guard and US military special forces, armed with a judicial seizure warrant, seized the crude oil tanker Marinera, which refused to board last month before changing its flag to Russia, officials said.

With Russian submarines and vessels nearby, the seizure risks further confrontation with Russia, which has condemned US actions regarding Venezuela and is already at odds with the West over the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin did not respond to requests for comment on what was a national holiday in Russia.

"It was a fake Russian oil tanker," US Vice President J.D. Vance said in an interview on Fox News. "They were essentially trying to pretend to be a Russian oil tanker in an attempt to circumvent the sanctions regime."

Earlier on Wednesday, the US Coast Guard also intercepted a tanker carrying Venezuelan oil, the Panama-flagged M Sophia, near the northeast coast of South America, US officials said, in the fourth such seizure in recent weeks. According to records from Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA, the tanker was fully loaded.

US TARGETS 'SHADOW FLEET'

The Marinera, formerly known as the Bella-1, was empty of oil, but the US said it and the M Sophia were part of a "shadow fleet" of tankers used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.

"The only permissible maritime energy transportation is that which complies with American law and national security," said Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, in a statement.

"There is unlimited economic potential for Venezuela's energy sector through the lawful and permissible commercial channels established by the United States."

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that the Marinera crew had made "frantic efforts to evade capture" and "failed to comply" with Coast Guard orders, thus facing criminal charges. (alg)

Source: Reuters.com