The authorities of the United States have filed requests with the courts for warrants to seize dozens of oil tankers carrying Venezuelan oil. Washington is considering not only the confiscation of the ships themselves but also their cargoes, sources told Reuters.
Source: Gazeta.UA
The exact number of court requests in the U.S. and the number of approved warrants have not been disclosed. However, the cases involve dozens of such matters. Previously, the U.S. government, including through court decisions in Washington, D.C., had obtained permission to seize property and confiscated oil tankers.
In recent weeks, the U.S. Armed Forces and the Coast Guard have intercepted five vessels in international waters transporting oil from Venezuela.
The intercepted tankers were either under U.S. sanctions or part of the so-called shadow fleet—unregulated vessels that conceal their origin to transport oil from Iran, Russia, and Venezuela.
Washington states that it intends to seize the ships themselves, whereas previously law enforcement agencies had limited themselves to confiscating the oil cargo.
According to Reuters, U.S. actions to seize the vessels have been temporarily suspended since Friday but could be resumed for tankers and cargoes lacking American authorization.
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