Venezuela continues to find ways to circumvent US sanctions through the use of so-called “zombie tankers,” in order to maintain the flow of its oil exports and secure the hard currency needed for the survival of Nicolas Maduro’s government, according to a Bloomberg report.
Ship tracking data indicates that an old crude oil tanker, which was supposed to be dismantled years ago, is currently heading towards Venezuela after manipulating its identity to appear as another vessel that has already been dismantled. This method is commonly used by sanctioned ships to hide their routes and shipments, and these ships are known as “zombies” or “ghosts” because they rely on falsifying identity and locations to avoid surveillance.
Despite the significant damage to the Venezuelan oil sector as a result of sanctions and lack of investment, Caracas still exports about 900,000 barrels per day, mostly to China, according to the analytics firm Kpler. This amount is enough to keep the sector alive and enrage the Donald Trump administration.
Analysts believe that this situation has prompted Washington to move from financial sanctions to field interventions, including pursuing and detaining oil tankers near the Venezuelan coast, in an escalation that Bloomberg described as the most dangerous to date.
According to Tankers Trackers, Venezuela relies on a shadow fleet of hundreds of old, uninsured ships owned by shell companies, which use sophisticated methods to conceal their identity and movements.
Shipping experts warn that direct inspection of ships has become Washington’s next option, considering that forging documents and locations is no longer a means of protection, but rather a factor that puts ships directly in the crosshairs.
