US Navy Refuses Russian Oil Tanker to Enter Venezuela

The Russian tanker Seahorse from the so-called shadow fleet, which is subject to sanctions, turned around on its way to Venezuela after a US warship blocked its route.

This follows from data from a ship tracking service collected by Bloomberg.

On November 13, the Russian tanker Seahorse was carrying fuel to Venezuela when the USS Stockdale destroyer blocked its path.

The Russian vessel then changed course and headed towards Cuba.

The US warship, in turn, sailed near Venezuelan territorial waters in the direction of Puerto Rico.

Since then, the Seahorse has twice tried to approach Venezuela, but both times turned back and remained in the Caribbean Sea.

The intentions of the US destroyer towards the Russian vessel are unclear, and a spokesperson for the US Southern Command refused to comment on the ship’s movements.

The USS Stockdale arrived in the Caribbean in late September along with a dozen other warships to support President Donald Trump’s anti-drug operations in the region.

The Seahorse is under UK and European Union sanctions and is one of four Russian vessels delivering a fuel called ligroin to sanctioned Venezuela.

The tanker unloaded its cargo in late October, headed to Cuba, and was on its way back to Venezuela when the US ship appeared on its way. Since then, its movements have been atypical, as Russian tankers do not typically make U-turns or stand still on the well-trodden trade route between Cuba and Venezuela.

While Venezuela may have received shipments of lignite from Chevron during the Joe Biden administration, Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy Trump’s policy of “maximum pressure” on Nicolas Maduro has halted these imports. Venezuela now relies on Russia for supplies.

Trump is now considering several updated options for a military operation against Venezuela.