US seizing another ship in the Caribbean: Sources

The U.S. Coast Guard is currently conducting an operation to interdict a sanctioned vessel off the coast of Venezuela in international waters of the Caribbean Sea, according to three U.S. officials.

Details about the name of the ship or the exact location of the operation have not been disclosed at this time.

This marks the second sanctioned vessel seized by the United States. In a previous operation on Dec. 10, an elite U.S. Coast Guard tactical team, supported by U.S. Navy helicopters, boarded and seized The Skipper, an oil tanker involved in an illicit oil operation with Venezuela.

Reuters was the first to report on the ongoing seizure of a second sanctioned vessel by the Coast Guard.

President Donald Trump recently issued a threat to impose a blockade on all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, escalating pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

In a social media post, Trump stated, “Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before.”

In response, Maduro reaffirmed Venezuela’s commitment to trading oil and rejected Trump’s intentions as an attempt at regime change. He emphasized that Venezuela will not be subjugated to any external control.

This situation is still developing, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

Stay tuned for the latest developments on this unfolding story.