US seizes falsely flagged tanker Olina, its fifth in the Venezuela campaign

The US Coast Guard, supported by Marines and sailors launched from the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, seized the tanker Olina in international waters in the eastern Caribbean before dawn on 9 January, The Maritime Executive reports. The 2005-built ship, formerly Minerva M, was flying what the outlet describes as a false Timor-Leste flag. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the vessel would not hide under false claims of nationality. It was the fifth tanker seized in the Venezuela operation; TankerTrackers.com estimated 6.15 million barrels had been taken in a month.

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