U.S. Treasury Sanctions Tankers and Traders Linked to Venezuelan Oil

On Dec. 31, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions on four companies and named four oil tankers as blocked property, saying the firms and vessels supported Venezuela’s oil sector and helped President Nicolás Maduro’s government evade existing U.S. measures. Treasury materials identified the network as part of a "shadow fleet" that moves sanctioned cargoes and, in its words, "continue to provide financial resources that fuel Maduro’s illegitimate narco‑terrorist regime."

OFAC publicly named one designated entity, Aries Global Investment LTD, which it said it designated under Executive Order 13850 for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy. Treasury documents linked two tankers to Aries by name and IMO number: DELLA (IMO: 9227479), whose registered owner is listed as Aries Global Investment LTD, and VALIANT (IMO: 9409247). Both vessels were identified as blocked property in which Aries has an interest; public material notes DELLA has transported Venezuelan oil.

The designations block property and interests in property of the listed entities that are within U.S. jurisdiction and generally prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with the sanctioned companies and with the blocked vessels. Treasury officials framed the action as part of sustained economic pressure: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, "President Trump has been clear: We will not allow the illegitimate Maduro regime to profit from exporting oil while it floods the United States with deadly drugs," and added the Treasury "will continue to implement President Trump’s campaign of pressure on Maduro’s regime." State Department principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the entities were sanctioned "for illegally operating in Venezuela’s oil sector."

Market analysts and Treasury officials described the targeted tankers as elements of a broader "shadow fleet" that has expanded in recent years. Such vessels are often older, have opaque ownership structures and may sail without top‑tier insurance, allowing them to carry cargoes that mainstream shipping and insurance markets and major ports will not handle. Industry reporting places the number of tankers involved in legally dubious or evasive trades, including Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan cargoes, at roughly a fifth of the global tanker fleet. The concentration of sanctioned shipments on this fringe layer of the market increases risk premiums for charterers, insurers and ports that handle such cargo, analysts say.

The action follows earlier moves this month by Washington targeting Venezuela‑related tankers, signaling an escalation of vessel‑focused enforcement intended to choke revenue streams to Maduro’s government. The designations raise immediate commercial challenges for traders and refiners that have taken Venezuelan barrels, as counterparties and shipping markets may now avoid vessels or entities that could expose them to secondary sanctions or loss of access to the U.S. financial system.

Venezuelan government spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment. U.S. officials said the measures are meant to deter networks facilitating sanctioned oil flows and to increase the cost of doing business with the Venezuelan oil trade, reinforcing a longer‑term strategy of pressuring Caracas through financial restrictions.