As US blows up ‘drug boats’, Venezuelan oil sails safely on

While the American military blows up boats it claims are transporting drugs from Venezuela, observers say tankers shipping Venezuelan oil in violation of a US embargo continue to navigate the same Caribbean waters undisturbed.

- PATRICK FORT

The Greece-flagged oil tanker Minerva Astra, chartered by Chevron, sits off the port of Bajo Grande in Maracaibo, Venezuela, in September.

(REUTERS)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has claimed a massive US military deployment within striking distance of his country was part of a plan to overthrow him and "steal" his country's oil under the ruse of an antidrug operation.

Has the perceived US military threat affected crude exports from Venezuela, the country with more of the "black gold" than any other?

Apart from ships used by US energy giant Chevron - which has a temporary license to extract Venezuelan oil - experts say the Caribbean also plays host to so-called "shadow tankers," which transport sanctioned or illicit oil.

"The shadow tankers circulate without problem. Just like before the American deployment. The Americans cannot not see them. They allow them to circulate," an expert in the sector told AFP on condition of anonymity.