Two Chinese-flagged very large crude carriers (VLCC) are heading toward Venezuelan territorial waters, despite the blockade imposed by the US government on tankers carrying the country's oil. This move increases the risk of a serious escalation in relations between Washington and Beijing regarding Venezuelan crude exports. According to shipping data from Lloyd’s List published on Tuesday, the tanker Thousand Sunny is expected to reach Venezuela's Jose terminal in mid-January after passing empty through the Cape of Good Hope in the South Atlantic. The ship, which is not under US sanctions, has previously transported heavy Merey crude from Venezuela to China. A second Chinese-flagged VLCC, the Xing Ye, which is also not subject to sanctions, is currently off French Guiana awaiting loading at the same terminal. Both the State Department and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs have not commented on the ships' movements.
Trump's pressure on the Maduro regime
These voyages are taking place at a time when US President Donald Trump is intensifying pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. In mid-December, Trump ordered a "full and complete blockade" of sanctioned tankers entering or leaving the country. US forces have already seized at least two tankers carrying Venezuelan crude in international waters this month, while a third managed to evade boarding. The Pentagon described the measures as a "quarantine," aimed at restricting the revenues of the Maduro government, which Washington accuses of links to drug trafficking and terrorism.
Secret CIA operation in Venezuela
In parallel, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) carried out a drone strike earlier this month on an isolated coastal pier in Venezuela. This is the first officially recognized US operation on the country's soil, according to sources who briefed CNN. The target was allegedly used for storing and loading drugs onto vessels, possibly by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. At the time of the strike, the site was empty, and no casualties were reported. The operation followed a series of US attacks against suspected drug-trafficking vessels in international waters.
Trump first referred to the operation in a radio interview on Friday with John Catsimatidis of WABC, saying that US forces "neutralized" a "large facility from where the ships were leaving." On Monday, Trump provided more details while speaking to reporters, stating: "There was a big explosion in the dock area where they were loading boats with narcotics. That no longer exists." The White House and the Pentagon refused to provide further details on the operation or its execution, while Venezuelan authorities have so far not responded publicly to the reports.
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