Sanctioned tankers appear to flee Venezuela using deceptive tactics to evade U.S. blockade

At least 16 oil tankers hit by U.S. sanctions appear to have attempted to evade a major American naval blockade on Venezuela’s energy exports over the last two days, in part by disguising their true locations or turning off their transmission signals, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

For weeks the ships had been spotted on satellite imagery docked in Venezuelan ports, but by Saturday all were gone from those locations. Four were tracked by satellite sailing east about 30 miles from shore while using fake ship names and misrepresenting their positions, a tactic known as “spoofing.” Those four left port without the interim government’s authorization, according to internal communications from Venezuela’s state-owned oil company and two people in the Venezuelan oil industry.

The other 12 tankers stopped broadcasting signals and have not been located in new imagery, leaving their location and intent open questions. The departures add pressure to Venezuela to move crude: since the blockade storage facilities have been nearing capacity, and shutting down production risks damaging oil reservoirs and infrastructure, the report said.

The ships that left without authorization were contracted by traders Alex Saab and Ramón Carretero, according to the state oil company data and two industry sources. Fifteen of the 16 ships that were on the move on Saturday were under U.S. sanctions for hauling Iranian and Russian oil.

Key Topics

World, Venezuelan Oil Tankers, Venezuela, Us Navy, Nicholas Maduro, Alex Saab