Venezuela has made headlines with a bold act of defiance, as over a dozen sanctioned oil tankers have reportedly slipped past a stringent US naval blockade. These “ghost ships,” laden with millions of barrels of crude and fuel, managed to escape Venezuelan waters by employing a series of sophisticated evasion tactics.
In a move straight out of a spy thriller, the vessels reportedly switched off their location trackers, entering “dark mode” to vanish from radar. Some even went further, sending out false signals to appear thousands of miles away or adopting the names and hulls of decommissioned boats. This clandestine exodus occurred just before Saturday, raising the stakes in the ongoing geopolitical standoff.
The US, under former President Trump, had imposed a tight oil embargo on Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, aiming to paralyze the nation’s ability to generate revenue. Yet, with Venezuela’s vast oil storage facilities nearing capacity, the pressure to move its most valuable commodity was immense. This risky maneuver signals a desperate economic need and potentially the first act of defiance by Venezuela’s interim government against the US administration.
Experts suggest this wasn’t a random occurrence but a coordinated attempt to overwhelm the blockade. While US forces have previously intercepted some vessels, these recent escapes highlight the challenge of enforcing such a widespread “quarantine.” The ultimate destination of these vanished tankers remains unknown, but their breakout underscores the high-stakes game being played on the high seas, with Venezuela’s economic survival hanging in the balance.
Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/37822088/oil-tankers-break-venezuela-trump-blockade/
