US Seizes Another Venezuelan Oil Tanker in Ongoing Imperial Campaign

Sagitta intercepted as Washington enforces an illegal oil blockade and expands control over Venezuela’s sovereign energy resources

Venezuela | PUREWILAYAH.COM - On 20 January 2026, U.S. military forces seized the oil tanker Motor Vessel Sagitta in the Caribbean Sea, marking the seventh confrontation in the United States’ escalating campaign to wrest control of Venezuela’s sovereign oil exports.

The U.S. Southern Command announced the seizure, stating the vessel was intercepted “without incident” after operating in defiance of Washington’s self-declared quarantine on sanctioned shipping.

According to official U.S. military statements, the Sagitta was apprehended as part of an operation purportedly aimed at ensuring that Venezuela’s oil trade is “coordinated properly and lawfully” under U.S. diktat. This rhetoric continues to disguise the broader geostrategic objective of stripping Caracas of control over its own energy resources.

Series of Seizures Reveal Imperial Control Over Venezuela’s Oil Flows

The seizure of Sagitta follows a series of aggressive U.S. actions that have seen tankers intercepted throughout the Caribbean and beyond under the pretext of enforcing unilateral U.S. sanctions. Since December 2025, Washington has seized a sequence of vessels alleged to be linked to Venezuela, including ones previously targeted under sanctions tied to Iran and Russia.

These operations form part of a broader blockade and oil interdiction strategy, backed by a substantial U.S. naval and military buildup in the Caribbean. The policy, driven by the Trump administration, seeks not only to limit Venezuela’s ability to trade its own oil but also to repurpose those resources for U.S. economic and geopolitical objectives.

Venezuela’s vast oil reserves – among the world’s largest – have been systematically targeted by Washington through a blend of coercive sanctions, naval blockades, and direct seizures. For Caracas and its allies, these actions represent a blatant assault on national sovereignty and a continuation of neo-colonial oil exploitation.

International Condemnation Grows as US Pushes Oil Dominance

The international reaction to Washington’s oil seizures has been sharply critical. Moscow denounced earlier U.S. seizures of Russian-linked vessels as violations of international maritime law, while nations across Latin America and beyond have condemned the operation as an act of economic coercion.

Global legal scholars and maritime experts have questioned the legality of unilateral U.S. blockades and interception operations in international waters, arguing that such actions undermine established norms of sovereign free trade. Critics note that Venezuela’s right to export its legally-owned natural resources has been systematically undermined by Washington’s expanding campaign.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has openly articulated plans to exert long-term control over Venezuela’s oil industry, including infrastructure overhaul and sale of seized Venezuelan oil on global markets — actions that critics label as outright resource plunder under the banner of strategic stabilization. (PW)