00:00The U.S. user and boarding of the Russian flagged oil tanker Marinara, formerly the Bella One,
00:05is a move bound to raise tensions with Russia and risk escalation, a sanctions expert has warned on Wednesday.
00:12Gonzalo says a rest queen of the Royal United Services Institute said the shutting off and the boarding of the Marinara tanker
00:19after it obtained the Russian flag is a telling example of Washington's hard line on Venezuela's sanctions enforcement.
00:25It says noted that Russia has taken a big leap in coming out of the shadows by registering nearly 20 shadow fleet vessels,
00:34increasing its legal and environmental exposure if these floating rust buckets cause spills.
00:40Seizing tankers is a very costly measure. Of course, these military operations have their own costs.
00:47And then there's a very significant question that has to be answered, which is what will happen to a tanker?
00:53How long will the seizing authority be willing to keep this tanker at port?
00:59Will it pay for the maintenance? What will happen to the crew and the cargo?
01:03These are questions that have traditionally deterred coastal states from taking such actions.
01:09The U.S. is really reshaping the playing field in this regard.
01:13The U.S. has been sanctioning Venezuela's shadow fleet tankers for quite some time now,
01:19now over 50 of them in this case, and still dozens of them still oil-laden lurk around the region under the blockade.
01:30And many of them are choosing when they're en route to Venezuela to turn back,
01:37exemplifying the impact that these measures are taking.
01:40The U.S. has chosen to target these vessels to prevent the breach of sanctions on the country
01:46and monitor the flow of oil under the newly signed deal of 30 to 50 million barrels into the U.S.
01:55and ensure that rope operators do not jeopardize these operations and ensure U.S. control over these flows.
02:01Despite this, he said the U.S. was not deterred and pressed ahead with the operation.
02:05The U.S. sees two Venezuela-linked oil tankers in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday
02:10as part of President Donald Trump's aggressive push to dictate oil flows in the Americas
02:14and force Venezuela's socialist government to become an ally.
02:19After capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a Saturday military raid on Caracas,
02:24the U.S. is escalating its blockade of vessels that are under sanctions
02:27and going to and from the South American country, a member of the OPEC oil group.
02:32The White House also said it plans to roll back some of the sanctions
02:36Trump placed on Venezuelan oil in 2019 during his first term.
