Former US President Donald Trump has been caught making a false claim regarding the seizure of an oil tanker flying the Russian flag. Trump had said that oil was being unloaded from the tanker, whereas in reality the vessel was empty at the time of its seizure. The US Coast Guard had seized the tanker Marinera in the North Atlantic. In a separate action aimed at tightening sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports, the US also seized another tanker named Olina. Russia has welcomed the release of two crew members.
Highlights
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Trump falsely claimed oil was being unloaded from the Russian tanker.
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The tanker Marinera was completely empty at the time of seizure.
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The US seized another tanker as part of Venezuela-related sanctions enforcement.
The US President Donald Trump’s claim regarding the seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker has been proven incorrect. He had asserted that oil was being extracted from the tanker, but in fact, the vessel was not carrying any oil when it was seized.
In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Trump declined to clarify whether he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin after the seizure of the tanker in the Atlantic Ocean. Responding to a question, he said, “I don’t want to say, but the truth is that when we got there, two Russian vessels—a submarine and a destroyer—left the area very quickly. We took control of the tanker, and oil is now being unloaded.”
However, analytics firm Kpler stated that there was no oil on board the tanker at the time it was seized, contradicting Trump’s claim.
It is noteworthy that the US Coast Guard seized the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera (formerly Bella 1) in the North Atlantic on Wednesday. According to Reuters, two US officials said on Friday that another tanker, Olina, was being seized in the Caribbean region. This is the fifth vessel targeted in recent weeks as part of efforts to crack down on Venezuela’s oil exports.
Two Crew Members Released, Russia Welcomes Decision
Uncertainty continues over the future of the remaining crew members of the seized Marinera tanker, including three Indian nationals. Meanwhile, Russia on Friday welcomed the US decision to release two of its citizens who were part of the tanker’s crew.
US Seizes Yet Another Tanker
The United States said on Friday that it has seized another tanker that attempted to break the US naval blockade imposed to prevent sanctioned vessels from traveling to or from Venezuela. This is the fifth ship captured in recent weeks under this enforcement drive.