U.S. military forces seized the Motor Vessel Sagitta on Tuesday, a seventh oil tanker connected to Venezuela, as the Trump administration consolidates control over Venezuela’s oil production following the January 3 ouster of President Nicolás Maduro.
U.S. Southern Command said the seizure occurred “without incident.” The command stated the tanker was operating in violation of the Trump administration’s “established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”
The seizure marks an escalation in the Trump administration’s effort to control Venezuela’s oil industry following Maduro’s removal. The administration has indicated plans to invest $100 billion in rebuilding Venezuela’s oil production and to generate revenue from seized assets.
The Pentagon and U.S. Southern Command declined to provide additional details about the operation. The ship’s last location transmission came more than two months ago as it exited the Baltic Sea in northern Europe.
The Sagitta seizure is the latest in a campaign that began December 10 with the capture of the first Venezuelan-linked tanker off Venezuela’s coast. Most subsequent seizures have occurred in Caribbean waters near Venezuela. The Bella 1, seized January 7 in the North Atlantic, initially headed south from European waters but unexpectedly reversed course north on December 15 before being apprehended.
Trump’s $100 Billion Oil Plan
Trump met with oil company executives early January to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade oil production and distribution. He said the U.S. expected to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil.
On Tuesday, Trump told reporters at the White House that the U.S. has already extracted 50 million barrels from Venezuela. “We’ve got millions of barrels of oil left,” he said. “We’re selling it on the open market. We’re bringing down oil prices incredibly.”
Consolidating Control Over Venezuelan Oil
The seizure of the Sagitta exemplifies the Trump administration’s strategy to consolidate control over Venezuela’s oil resources following the January 3 removal of Nicolás Maduro. The administration views the tanker seizures as a mechanism to generate revenue while maintaining leverage over Venezuela’s energy sector recovery.