The United States intercepted a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker in international waters of the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Venezuela, according to U.S. media. This is the second vessel intercepted by the Donald Trump administration in the region; last week, the ship Skipper was seized and its crude oil cargo confiscated. According to The New York Times, citing a U.S. official and two sources from the Venezuelan oil industry, the detained vessel is named Centuries and is not on the U.S. sanctions list of tankers. However, the publication reports that the ship belongs to a Chinese-based oil company that transports Venezuelan crude to refineries in the Asian giant. The U.S. Coast Guard was supported by the military in the operation, which used helicopters to transport personnel to the vessel. So far, President Trump has not commented on the matter. The Republican has intensified pressure on Venezuela in recent weeks, ordering a total blockade on the entry and exit of sanctioned oil tankers from the country. He also stated last Wednesday that the Caribbean nation had stripped U.S. companies of their oil rights. "Remember, they took away all of our energy rights," he declared.
