US authorities have filed motions with courts to obtain warrants to seize dozens of oil tankers linked to Venezuela, Reuters reported, citing its sources.
The US government has previously obtained similar warrants through district courts, mostly in Washington, D.C., and has seized oil vessels. However, the exact number of warrants the US has requested and the number already obtained is unclear, the sources noted.
In recent weeks, the US military and coast guard have intercepted five ships in international waters carrying Venezuelan oil. The vessels were either under US sanctions or part of a "shadow fleet" by ships that disguise their origin as carrying oil from key sanctioned producers such as Iran, Russia or Venezuela, the report states.