Recently, former President Donald Trump directed a “maritime blockade” of all oil tankers sanctioned or not, going to or coming from Venezuela. This aggressive move aims to intensify pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government by targeting its primary revenue source: crude oil exports. Sunday’s announcement comes amid rising tensions between the US and Venezuela due to its deep oil wealth. Further, these reserves are the largest in the world.
The blockade targets more than 30 of the 80 ships that are now in Venezuelan waters or en route to the country. Each of these vessels is turned U.S. sanctions. The move Trump administration is making to destroy Venezuela’s economy. This decision comes after the imposition of energy sanctions between 2019 and 2022. Unsurprisingly, the recent crackdown on oil exports has drastically cut Venezuelan crude exports. This trend was further exacerbated after the seizure of a vessel on December 10th.
Nicolas Maduro has responded vehemently to Trump’s directive, alleging that the increased U.S. military presence is designed to overthrow his government and seize control of Venezuela’s oil resources. “Imperialism and the fascist right want to colonize Venezuela to take over its wealth of oil, gas, gold, among other minerals,” Maduro stated. He vowed that his government would defend its sovereignty, asserting, “We have sworn absolutely to defend our homeland and in Venezuela peace will triumph.”
This week, that story took a dramatic and terrifying turn. A targeted cyberattack on the administrative systems of state-run oil company PDVSA struck, exacerbating PDVSA’s administrative crisis. The assault has severely limited the attack’s operation and has called into question Venezuela’s oil industry overall viability.
In reaction to Trump’s blockade, U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro criticized the move as “unquestionably an act of war.” He expressed concern over the lack of Congressional authorization for such military actions, stating that it represents “a war that the Congress never authorized and the American people do not want.”
The Trump administration has labeled Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization. This cabal includes Maduro and a dozen other top Venezuelan officials. Specifically, Trump claimed that this designation was warranted because of Venezuela’s supposed support for terrorism, drug trafficking, and human trafficking. “For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” he stated.
Traders and refiners alike have shown their resolve to evade U.S. sanctions and maritime blockades. To achieve this, they have relied almost exclusively on the use of a “shadow fleet” of tankers. These vessels either hide where they go or are under sanctions themselves for carrying oil from countries such as Iran or Russia. This tactic showcases the depths some companies will sink to in order to do business with Venezuela’s rich oil market.
Susie Wiles, a senior advisor to the former President Donald Trump, stressed the administration’s approach as guardrails to ensure that they kept up their pressure on Maduro’s government. She explained that the U.S. goal is to keep pressure on the regime until there is a change in leadership within Venezuela. “The strategy is to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle,” Wiles remarked.
There are strong legal arguments that these military actions violated the law, as legal scholar Elena Chachko noted. She emphasized the state of play with respect to domestic and international law.