New York. This Wednesday, the United States Southern Command announced that the Coast Guard detained a sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean that was operating in international waters. According to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the ship had made its last stop in Venezuela. The Command reported that the Department of Defence, in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security, intercepted a sanctioned tanker that belonged to the dark fleet. A US official told The New York Times that the ship was operating under the flag of Cameroon. The Command classified it within the dark fleet, which refers to vessels transporting oil from nations under sanctions, such as Venezuela or Iran, and where flags of convenience are predominant. The detained ship, the M/T Sophia, was sailing in international waters and engaging in illegal activities in the Caribbean Sea.
