Minerva Tanker left without paying oil cargo!
Caracas, Jan 9 (EFE).–
Venezuela announced Friday that, as part of a joint operation with the United States, an oil tanker that had left without payment or authorization from the authorities and that had been seized in the morning was returning to the South American country’s waters.
This was a “successful joint operation” between Caracas and Washington for “the return of the ship Minerva to the country,” the ministry of hydrocarbons and the state-owned oil company PDVSA said in a brief joint statement.
“Thanks to this first successful joint operation, the vessel is now sailing back to Venezuelan waters for its protection and relevant actions,” the official statement added.
Caracas made this announcement after US President Donald Trump said that “the United States of America, in coordination with the Interim Authorities of Venezuela, seized an oil tanker which departed Venezuela without our approval.”
“This tanker is now on its way back to Venezuela, and the oil will be sold through the GREAT Energy Deal, which we have created for such sales,” he added in a post on Truth Social.
The operation was carried out as a coordinated action between the department of war and the department of homeland security before dawn and involved marines and sailors who departed in helicopters from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to apprehend the ship without incident, the US Southern Command said in a statement.
“Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: “there is no safe haven for criminals,” the Command added.
The statement stressed that “the Department of War’s Operation Southern Spear is unwavering in its mission to defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere.”
According to the New York Times, the Olina, formerly called Minerva M, is sanctioned by the US for its alleged role in financing Russia’s war in Ukraine by transporting Russian energy exports to foreign markets.
The operation between Caracas and Washington took place on the same day that the government of Venezuela’s acting president, the Chavista Delcy Rodríguez, announced an “exploratory diplomatic process” with the US aimed at “re-establishing diplomatic missions,” almost a week after the US attack on Venezuelan territory that ended with the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. EFE
csm/pd
