Several oil tankers have begun to leave Venezuela after the President of the United States, Donald Trumpwill threaten to impose a “total and absolute blockade” on sanctioned ships entering or leaving the South American country. The warning marks an escalation of the White House’s pressure strategy against Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
Trump claimed on Tuesday that he had ordered one Blockade of sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuelaa formulation that, if applied, could stifle one of the country’s main sources of income with the largest proven petroleum reserves in the world. However, the exact extent of the threat has not been officially clarified by the US government.
During his first term The US imposed sanctions banning American companies and citizens from buying Venezuelan oil without special permission from the Ministry of Finance. Adding to this regime are measures against hundreds of ships that make up what authorities and analysts have dubbed a “ghost flotilla” that transports crude oil from sanctioned countries such as Iran, Russia and Venezuela.
According to maritime intelligence firm Windward At least 30 sanctioned vessels are currently operating near Venezuelan waters. Some of them have begun to change course or change their navigation patterns, apparently in response to the threat of confiscation or new sanctions.
“It is clear that this has disrupted energy flows to and from Venezuela“said Michelle Wiese Bockmann, an analyst at Windward. “Every hour that we track these ships, we see oil ships redirecting, wandering or changing their behavior,” she added.
One of the most visible cases is that of the Hyperion ship, which was en route to the Venezuelan port of José, one of the country’s main crude oil export centers. In the early hours of Wednesday morning The ship made a 90 degree turn and headed north.away from South America, according to maritime tracking data.
The Hyperion was previously part of the Russian state transport fleet It is among 173 ships sanctioned in the final days of Joe Biden’s presidency for allegedly facilitating Russian oil exports, violating sanctions imposed on Moscow after the invasion of Ukraine.
Due to these sanctions, the ship changed its flag from Comoros to Gambia. But in November Authorities in the African country have removed the Hyperion and dozens of other ships from their maritime registerprivately managed, for alleged use of false certificates allegedly issued by the Gambia Maritime Authority.
The ship ownership structure remains opaque and fragmented multiple layers of shell companies, some of which are registered in Dubaiin the United Arab Emirates, a common pattern in the fleet designed to avoid international sanctions.
According to industry experts, this framework increases the legal vulnerability of ships. “It is clearly capable of being confiscated“Warned Wiese Bockmann with regard to the Hyperion against the background of increasing surveillance by US authorities.
Trump’s threat comes just days after Seizure of the skipper ship by U.S. forces near Venezuela, an incident that has heightened fears among shipping operators and insurers. Although Washington has not yet detailed the specific mechanisms of an eventual “blockade,” the announcement alone was enough to alter the flow of oil.
For Venezuela, which relies heavily on crude oil exports to sustain its economy, any prolonged disruption to shipping routes increases pressure The sector is already weakened by years of sanctions, a lack of investment and the decay of infrastructure. The movement of the ships suggests that the perceived risk has an immediate impact on the country’s energy trade, even without a formal definition.
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