U.S. Reportedly Seeking Warrants To Seize Dozens More Tankers Linked To Venezuela

The U.S. government is seeking warrants to seize dozens of additional tankers linked to Venezuela, according to a new report. The exact number of vessels sought is unclear, Reuters detailed.

The Trump administration has said it plans to control the South American country's oil resources indefinitely. In fact, the country has begun reopening oil wells that were shut during a U.S. embargo as crude exports resumed this week.

Two large tankers left Venezuelan waters late carrying roughly 1.8 million barrels of crude each, marking what may be the first shipments under a proposed 50-million-barrel supply arrangement between Caracas and Washington.

The vessels were heading north toward the Caribbean, where oil traders and refiners often use leased storage facilities, according to LSEG ship-tracking data reported by Reuters. Tankers seized by the U.S. due to links to adversarial countries are in such poor conditions that they can't enter the country's ports, according to another report.

The Washington Post reported that, as a result, the Coast Guard is expanding inspection and repair teams. An internal message sent by the entity described the vessels as "stateless and beyond substandard."

Oil exports from the OPEC member had largely stalled since December after intensified U.S. pressure sharply curtailed shipments, leaving millions of barrels stranded in storage. During that period, U.S. oil major Chevron was the only company authorized to export Venezuelan crude under a limited U.S. license.

The restart follows moves by the Trump administration to reshape Venezuela's oil sector after U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro earlier this month. President Donald Trump last week outlined plans to refine and sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil previously blocked by U.S. measures, while keeping broader sanctions in place and allowing only tightly controlled transactions.

Trump has also sought to attract U.S. investment into Venezuela's energy industry, telling oil executives at a White House meeting that American companies would play a central role in rebuilding infrastructure. However, executives struck a cautious tone, as the BBC points out.