Guyana says oil tanker seized by United States was flying Guyana flag illegally

Guyana Friday night the oil  tanker seized by the United States earlier during the day “was falsely flying the Guyana flag” and is not  registered here.

In a statement, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) said  has  “observed the proliferation and unacceptable use of the Guyana  flag by vessels that are not registered in Guyana”.

It said that the US government had informed MARAD “that they encountered the Motor Tanker SKIPPER (ex-ADISA) IMO   Number 9304667 in international waters. It was falsely flying the Guyana Flag, as it is not registered in Guyana”.

MARAD said  it will continue “to reach out to  and work with international partners and other maritime agencies to identify, pursue ad take firm action against any unauthorised use of the Guyana Flag”.

US President Donald Trump  had earlier said  that he SKIPPER was the largest crude tanker ever seized by American authorities even as the Venezuelan authorities called the seizure of the vessel “piracy”.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes a blatant theft and an act of international piracy, it said.

The Nicolas Maduro administration said there was now mounting evidence that the Trump administration’s goal is to take control of Venezuela’s oil that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people.

“Venezuela calls on all Venezuelans to stand firm in defense of the homeland and urges the international community to reject this vandalistic, illegal, and unprecedented aggression that seeks to normalize itself as a tool of pressure and plunder.”

International  media reports said that Washington had imposed sanctions on the tanker for what it claimed was involvement in Iranian oil trading when it was called the Adisa.

The SKIPPER is reported to have left Venezuela’s main oil port of Jose between December 4 and 5 after loading about 1.1 million barrels of Venezuela’s Merey heavy crude, according to satellite info analyzed by Tanker Trackers.com  and internal shipping data from Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA.

The US has amassed a large military presence near Venezuela as part of its policy to eradicate the illegal drugs trade and blaming Maduro  as heading the criminal  gang involved in the drugs trade.

But Caracas has said that Trump is seeking to have a regime change in the South American country and has placed a US$50 million bounty on Maduro’s  head. (CMC)

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