‘Ghost ships’ moving sanctioned oil have drifted into Trump’s crosshairs

After the US seized a tanker carrying Venezuelan crude oil, the mysterious fleet of “ghost ships” used to evade sanctions drifted straight to the president. Donald Trump goal.

On December 10, Trump announced the seizure of the Skipper, a ship secretly transporting oil, in defiance of sanctions.

The broader fleet, a secret fleet of about 1,000 tankers, quietly navigates global sea routes transporting oil from sanctioned countries such as Russia, Iran and Venezuela.

The White House: The United States intends to confiscate tens of millions of Venezuelan oil after intercepting the tanker

The so-called “ghost ships” sail under foreign flags to hide their origins, frequently change names, transfer ownership through shell companies, disable transponders to avoid tracking and conduct transfers in the middle of the sea to hide their cargo.

The result is a labyrinthine system of disguised deliveries and journeys.

The confrontation between the United States and Venezuela could shake gas prices in the long term

Benjamin Jensen, who heads the Futures Lab at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the challenge extends beyond Venezuela.

“I think it’s time for the United States and other countries to start addressing a real global problem,” explained Benjamin Jensen, director of the Futures Lab at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Jensen said the drug seizure is a shock not only to Caracas but to other actors as well.

“What we don’t know is how they’re following up on this behind the scenes,” he said, adding that more seizures under Trump are possible.

A view of the tanker “Eventen” off the coast of the German island of Rügen. It was previously reported that the ship was transporting crude oil coming from Russia. (Stefan Sauer/Image Alliance via Getty Images)

With Venezuela’s economy tied almost entirely to oil revenues, he noted that even a single ban could have a significant impact.

“Anything you do that puts pressure on their ability to bypass sanctions and trade oil poses a direct threat to the economy, and therefore the regime,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has signaled that the seizure of the “Commander” is only the opening salvo in a new effort to cut off the oil revenues that keep Moscow, Tehran and Caracas afloat.

White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt It said Thursday that the ship was “subject to confiscation.”

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“Right now, the United States has a full investigation team on the ground, on board the ship, interviewing individuals on board, and any relevant evidence is being seized,” Levitt said, adding that the United States will seize the oil after legal procedures are completed.

White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt was questioned about the US seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The move comes as China remains the main importer of Iranian oil and the second-largest buyer of Russian crude, most of which is routed through a growing fleet of unmarked tankers that evade US sanctions.

Earlier this year, German authorities detained a 19-year-old crude oil tanker named “Eventen” after the ship suffered an engine failure in the Baltic Sea. The ship was previously identified as a ship exporting Russian crude oil and other petroleum products.

German authorities discovered that the Panama-flagged ship, previously named Charvi and Storviken, was carrying 99,000 tons, or the equivalent of about $45 million, of Russian oil.