US receives 80 million barrels of Venezuelan oil in latest shipment

US Forces Seize Third Oil Tanker Linked to Venezuela

The US Department of Defense announced on Tuesday that its forces had boarded and captured a third oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, linked to Venezuela. The tanker, identified as Bertha, was reportedly carrying 1.9 million barrels of Merey 16 crude oil.

According to the Pentagon, the vessel was tracked from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean after US forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3. The incident occurred weeks after another oil tanker, also linked to Venezuela, was reported to have left Venezuelan waters.

The US Department of Defense stated that the Bertha was flagged to the Cook Islands when it was placed under US sanctions related to Iran, but was later listed under a false flag of the Caribbean island of Curacao and managed by a company in China.

President Donald Trump announced during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night that the United States had received “more than 80 million barrels of oil” from Venezuela. The White House has not provided further details on the origin or destination of the oil.

The incident comes as the Trump administration continues to expand oil extraction in the US and abroad, including in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Source: Al Jazeera