US intercepts fifth sanctioned tanker as it exerts control over Venezuelan oil distribution
Washington (AP): US forces boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on Friday, the US military said, as the Trump administration continues to target sanctioned tankers travelling to and from Venezuela.
The pre-dawn action was carried out by Marines and Navy sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, part of the extensive force the US has built up in the Caribbean in recent months, according to US Southern Command, which declared “there is no safe haven for criminals” as it announced the seizure of the tanker called the Olina. The Coast Guard then took control of the vessel, officials said.
Southern Command and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem both posted unclassified footage on social media of a US helicopter landing on the vessel and US personnel conducting a search of the deck and tossing what appeared to be an explosive device in front of a door leading to inside the ship.
In her social media post, Noem said the ship was “another ghost fleet' tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil” and it had departed Venezuela “attempting to evade US forces."
The Olina is the fifth tanker that has been seized by US forces as part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump's administration to control the distribution of Venezuela's oil products globally following the US ouster of President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid.
US government records show that the Olina was sanctioned for moving Russian oil under its prior name, Minerva M, and flagged in Panama.
While records show the Olina is now flying the flag of Timor-Leste, it is listed in the international shipping registry as having a false flag, meaning the registration it is claiming is not valid. In July, the owner and manager of the ship on its registration was changed to a company in Hong Kong.
According to ship tracking databases, the Olina last transmitted its location in November in the Caribbean, north of the Venezuelan coast. Since then, however, the ship has been running dark with its location beacon turned off.
While Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law, other officials in the Trump administration have made clear they see it as a way to generate cash to fund US goals in Venezuela.
In an early morning post on his social media network, Trump said the US and Venezuela “are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure.”
The administration said it expects to sell 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil, with the proceeds to go to both the US and Venezuelan people. But the president expects the arrangement to continue indefinitely as he meets on Friday with executives from 17 oil companies to discuss his goal of investing USD 100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution.
Vice President JD Vance told Fox News this week that the US can “control” Venezuela's “purse strings” by dictating where its oil can be sold.
The Olina has a listed cargo capacity of up to 890,000 barrels of oil. While it is unclear if the tanker was full or empty, at the current market price of about USD 60 a barrel, a full cargo of oil from the tanker would be worth about USD 53 million.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Delhi records season's coldest morning
New Delhi (PTI): The national capital on Saturday recorded a minimum temperature of 4.2 degrees Celsius, which was 2.7 notches below the season's average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
With this, Delhi recorded the coldest morning of the ongoing winter season since 2024.
The previous coldest January day in the past years was recorded on January 15, 2024, when the minimum temperature had plunged to 3.3 degrees Celsius, triggering cold wave conditions across the national capital.
Station-wise data showed that the minimum temperature at Safdarjung settled at 4.2 degrees Celsius, Palam recorded 4.5 degrees Celsius, Lodhi Road reported 4.7 degrees Celsius, the Ridge station registered 5.3 degrees Celsius, while Ayanagar also recorded 4.5 degrees Celsius, indicating a sharp dip across Delhi's weather stations.
Today's reading was followed by Friday's second-coldest morning of the season, when the minimum temperature had dropped to 4.6 degrees Celsius.
The third-lowest minimum temperature of the current season was recorded earlier on December 4 and December 5 last year, when the mercury had settled at 5.6 degrees Celsius, followed closely by December 1, when the minimum temperature stood at 5.7 degrees Celsius.
IMD has predicted dense fog conditions during the day.
Relative humidity was recorded at 100 per cent at 9 am.
The air quality was recorded in the 'very poor' category at 9 am on Saturday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 366, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
