WASHINGTON D.C January 9, 2026 — The United States has seized another oil tanker carrying Venezuelan crude, marking the fifth such operation in recent weeks as the Trump administration asserts control over Venezuela’s vast oil exports following the capture of former leader Nicolás Maduro.
President Donald J. Trump announced the seizure on Thursday, stating that U.S. forces acted “in coordination with the Interim Authorities of Venezuela” to intercept a tanker that departed Venezuelan waters “without our approval.”
“This tanker is now on its way back to Venezuela, and the oil will be sold through the GREAT Energy Deal, which we have created for such sales,” Trump said in a statement shared by the White House.
The vessel, identified as the Olina, was boarded by U.S. Marines and sailors in the Caribbean Sea in a pre-dawn operation. The tanker, previously known as the Minerva M and sanctioned by the U.S. in 2025 for allegedly transporting Russian oil, was flying a false flag from Timor-Leste in an apparent attempt to evade detection.
The operation is part of a broader U.S. effort to dismantle “ghost fleets” used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela, Russia, and Iran. U.S. officials described the seizure as a message that there is “no safe haven” for vessels violating sanctions.
The seizures come amid dramatic changes in Venezuela after U.S. forces captured Maduro on January 3, 2026, on narcotrafficking charges. Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president, was sworn in as interim president shortly afterward, with U.S. support.
The Trump administration has declared that Venezuela will transfer 30-50 million barrels of oil to U.S. oversight, with proceeds intended to benefit the Venezuelan people under the newly established GREAT Energy Deal.
Diplomatic relations between Washington and Caracas, severed in 2019, are now under exploratory restoration, with reports of U.S. diplomats assessing the possibility of reopening an embassy.
The ongoing operations underscore the U.S.’s tightened grip on Venezuelan oil, the country’s primary economic resource, as the interim government navigates a transitional period under American influence.
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