The U.S. is stepping up efforts to seize dozens of Venezuela-related oil tankers, targeting the shadow fleet that transports sanctioned crude from Venezuela, Iran and Russia.
 
This escalation follows the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3. U.S. sanctions had crushed Venezuela’s oil exports; recent resumed shipments are only allowed under U.S. supervision, with any bypass routes facing crackdowns. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed that authorities will intercept dark fleet vessels at their discretion.
 
Notably, traders Vitol and Trafigura have secured initial permits to export Venezuelan crude, with Trafigura’s first cargo bound for China this week. Analysts note this signals a step toward regularizing Venezuelan crude trade, which will cut shadow fleet share, lower shipping risks and sustain Asian long-haul demand in the short term.
 
If exports shift to the U.S. Gulf Coast, shorter voyages will boost Aframax and LR1 tanker utilization over VLCCs. Venezuela remains a geopolitical wild card, with its trade normalization set to impact oil prices, freight flows and refinery economics.