The United States has seized a sixth oil tanker, named Veronica, which it claims has ties to Venezuela. This move is part of a broader strategy to control Venezuela's oil industry. The tanker was boarded by the U.S. Coast Guard, who found it operating in defiance of President Trump's quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean. The operation involved Marines and sailors from the USS Gerald R. Ford, who worked alongside a Coast Guard tactical team. The seizure was described as 'without incident'. This is the fourth such seizure since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid. The Veronica was last located off the coast of Aruba, partially filled with crude oil. It is believed to be part of a 'shadow fleet' of ships moving oil in violation of U.S. sanctions. The ship has a history of being registered in Russia under different names, including Gallileo and Pegas, and was previously sanctioned for its association with illicit oil operations. The U.S. government frames these seizures as a law enforcement effort, but some officials see them as a way to generate cash and rebuild Venezuela's oil industry. Trump has expressed plans to invest $100 billion in Venezuela's oil sector, aiming to sell 30-50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
