U.S. Coast Guard Intercepts Vessels Amid Ongoing Tensions

The U.S. Coast Guard has intensified operations in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, intercepting another sanctioned oil tanker, according to reports from Havana Times. This vessel, reported to be named Centuries, was seized during a dawn operation supported by the Department of War, as confirmed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on social media.

This follows the earlier seizure of the oil tanker Skipper, which was en route to Cuba and is part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to impose a total blockade on oil tankers associated with Venezuela, as noted by CubaNet.

The U.S. government has accused the regime of Nicolas Maduro of using oil shipments to finance narco-terrorism in the region. Reports indicate that Cubametales, the state company responsible for oil imports and exports in Cuba, has been involved in a scheme to resell Venezuelan oil, further complicating U.S.-Cuba relations.

This ongoing dynamic highlights the strategic importance of oil in the geopolitical tensions between the U.S., Venezuela, and Cuba, with implications for Cuba's economy and security.