The Olina, which according to the public shipping database Equasis was falsely sailing under the East Timor flag, had previously sailed from Venezuela and then returned to the region, an industry source with direct knowledge of the case said.
In a pre-dawn operation, Marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, operating from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, intercepted Olina in the Caribbean Sea “without incident,” US Southern Command said on Network X.
|#DiarioLibreUSA | The combined forces of the United States intercepted the oil tanker Olina in the Caribbean this Friday, in a coordinated action between the Defense Department and the National Security Department (DHS), informed the South Command.
https://t.co/3QC8S47c1T #DiarioLibre… pic.twitter.com/AmeiBQGrSG
— Diario Libre (@DiarioLibre) January 9, 2026
– Once again, our joint interdepartmental forces sent a clear message, which is that there is no safe haven for criminals – it is stated in the announcement, reports Reuters.
The Olina left Venezuela last week loaded with oil as part of a flotilla shortly after the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, and the ship was then returning fully loaded to Venezuela despite a US embargo on Venezuelan oil exports, according to industry sources.
After ousting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Washington does not allow vessels against which it has imposed sanctions to enter or leave the waters of South American members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
The U.S. Coast Guard and military have seized the Mariner tanker, which denied them permission to board last month and began sailing under the Russian flag, officials said.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
