US Sells Seized Venezuelan Oil Tankers for Scrapping

By Staff, Agencies

The United States has quietly sold two oil tankers seized during its military campaign against Venezuela to Dubai-based ship recycling company Global Marketing Systems (GMS), with both vessels set to be dismantled in India.

According to Lloyd's List, GMS purchased the two tankers, the Era and Lileo, last month for an undisclosed amount.

Both vessels were seized by US authorities in January 2026 as part of Washington's campaign targeting Venezuelan oil shipments.

The Era, formerly known as Marinera and Bella 1, and the Lileo, previously named Galileo and Veronica, are now scheduled to be scrapped at shipbreaking facilities in India.

"The US government has sold them to us and there was a court order authorizing the sales, but there are complexities, not least the fact that we weren't really sure who previously owned them," GMS Chief Executive Officer Anil Sharma told Lloyd's List.

The sale follows a broader US campaign to intercept and seize vessels carrying Venezuelan oil, actions that Caracas and several other governments have condemned as maritime piracy.

Venezuela lodged a formal complaint with the UN Security Council after US forces seized one of its oil tankers in December 2025, stating that American personnel boarded the vessel on the high seas, detained its crew, and confiscated its cargo.

Iran also condemned the operation, with its embassy in Caracas describing the seizure as "piracy in the Caribbean Sea" and a violation of international law, including the principles governing freedom of navigation.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who has faced criticism from legal experts over alleged war crimes during Washington's military operations in Latin America, oversaw the seizure of one of the vessels.

The Era was intercepted south of Iceland in January 2026 after a weeks-long pursuit across the Atlantic. According to the report, the Russian-flagged tanker had previously evaded a US maritime blockade in the Caribbean targeting Venezuelan oil exports.

The Lileo was seized the same month in the Caribbean Sea as part of the broader US campaign against Venezuelan oil shipments.

According to reports, US authorities seized as many as 10 oil tankers following the operation.