The US military "apprehended" the Olina oil tanker in the Caribbean "without incident" early on Friday, the US Southern Command posted on X.  

"Apprehensions like this are backed by the full power of the US Navy's Amphibious Ready Group, including the ready and lethal platforms of the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale," the post added, referring to three ships.    

US Southern Command said joint interagency forces sent the message: "There is no safe haven for criminals." 

US President Donald Trump said later on Friday that the tanker was on its way back to Venezuela and that the oil it is carrying would be sold. 

'Ghost fleet' tanker

Reuters news agency reported, based on an industry source, that Olina had departed from Venezuela last week and that it was falsely flying the flag of Timor-Leste. 

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the Olina as a "ghost fleet" tanker ship, saying the vessel "departed Venezuela attempting to evade US forces."

"The ghost fleets will not outrun justice. They will not hide under false claims of nationality," Noem posted on X. 

It's the fifth tanker seized by the US government in recent weeks, as Trump aims to limit Venezuela's oil exports. 

On Wednesday, the US military seized two Russian-flagged oil tankers in the North Atlantic and Caribbean that are linked to Venezuela's oil industry. 

Seizure comes as US tightens grip on Venezuela's oil after Maduro ouster

The seizure of the tanker comes after the US military kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last weekend. Delcy Rodriguez, who served as vice president under Maduro, has now taken over as Venezuela's interim leader. 

Trump has threatened Rodriguez if she doesn't cooperate with US demands. Rodriguez, who has condemned Maduro's kidnapping, has said she is "open to energy relations" with the United States.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this week that the US would take Venezuelan oil and "sell it in the marketplace, at market rates, not at the discounts Venezuela was getting."   

"That money will then be handled in such a way that we will control how it is dispersed in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people, not corruption, not the regime," Rubio claimed.  

Some members of the US opposition Democratic Party have argued that the Trump administration is stealing Venezuela's oil. 

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said Wednesday after a briefing with Rubio that the Trump administration is "talking about stealing Venzuelan oil at gunpoint for an undefined period of time to micromanage an entire country."

"The scope and insanity of this is absolutely stunning," Murphy said. 

Edited by: Sean Sinico