HOUSTON – An oil tanker seized by the United States for carrying Venezuelan crude is ready to transfer the oil to a smaller vessel off the Texas coast that can bring it ashore, ship tracking data showed Wednesday. The United States last month sought to take ownership of the supertanker Skipper and the roughly 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan oil it was carrying when it was seized in December. It was the first oil tanker seized as part of the US strategy of increased pressure against Nicolás Maduro before the Venezuelan president was captured in January.
The medium-sized vessel PVT Poseidon was heading towards Skipper to transfer some oil, ship tracking data on LSEG and Kpler showed, and is then expected to go ashore. The Skipper is too large to sail through the Houston Ship Channel and has been docked out of Galveston since being seized.
The United States is seeking a tanker forfeiture, a legal process in which the government seizes a vessel and its cargo permanently without compensation for violations such as sanctions or smuggling. US forces have detained 10 tankers since December and released at least two of them to Venezuela’s interim government, according to a Reuters analysis.
Oil from seized ships is usually sold and the proceeds go to funds related to American victims of state-sponsored terrorism. The docking of seized tankers linked to Venezuela has raised concerns as many of them were built more than 20 years ago and also lack safety certification and adequate insurance. This means that if a collision or oil spill occurs, it is very difficult to impossible to establish claims or liability, according to shipping and insurance industry sources.
The age of these tankers, which exceeds the industry standard of 15 years, also raises concerns about potential environmental damage, the sources said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency source without text modification.
