U.S. sanctions Venezuelan oil firms, tightens noose on Maduro’s energy trade

The U.S. imposed new sanctions Wednesday on four companies operating in Venezuela’s oil sector and blocked four oil tankers accused of helping the Nicolás Maduro regime evade international restrictions and generate revenue for what U.S. officials described as an “illegitimate narco-terrorist regime.”

The measures, announced by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, target companies and vessels involved in transporting Venezuelan crude as part of what officials say is a growing “shadow fleet” used to bypass sanctions and move oil through opaque global networks.

“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,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “The Treasury Department will continue to implement President Trump’s campaign of pressure on Maduro’s regime.”

According to Treasury, the newly sanctioned entities include Corniola Limited, Krape Myrtle Co. Ltd., Winky International Limited and Aries Global Investment Ltd., all accused of operating in Venezuela’s oil sector in violation of U.S. sanctions. Four oil tankers linked to those companies — Nord Star, Rosalind (also known as Lunar Tide), Della and Valiant — were also designated as blocked property.

U.S. officials said the vessels have been used to transport Venezuelan crude in defiance of sanctions first imposed in 2019, when Washington targeted PDVSA, the state-run oil company, as part of a broader effort to pressure the Maduro regime.

“Maduro’s regime increasingly relies on a shadow fleet of vessels to evade sanctions, disguise the origin of oil shipments and generate revenue for its destabilizing activities,” the Treasury Department said.

Under the sanctions, all property and interests belonging to the designated companies that fall under U.S. jurisdiction are blocked. U.S. persons and entities are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions involving the sanctioned firms unless authorized by the Treasury Department. The measures also extend to any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by the designated parties.

Treasury officials warned that violations of U.S. sanctions could result in civil or criminal penalties, including for non-U.S. persons who facilitate prohibited transactions. Financial institutions and shipping companies that do business with the sanctioned entities also risk enforcement action.

The latest designations build on a series of recent U.S. moves targeting Venezuela’s energy sector. In December, Treasury sanctioned additional individuals, companies and vessels tied to PDVSA, citing efforts to disrupt revenue streams that help sustain the Maduro regime.

U.S. officials have long argued that oil exports remain the primary financial lifeline for Maduro’s administration, which Washington accuses of drug trafficking, corruption, human rights abuses and undermining democratic institutions. Both the Biden and Trump administrations have relied on sanctions as a central tool to pressure Caracas, though limited licenses have at times been granted to allow restricted energy transactions.

Earlier this month, President Trump ordered what he described as a “complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela, escalating pressure on the Caracas socialist regime. “Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America,” Trump said in a social media post. “It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before.”

The sanctions move could significantly disrupt Venezuela’s oil exports, the backbone of its economy. The country relies almost entirely on tanker shipments to move crude to international markets. According to the tracking firm TankerTrackers, more than 30 vessels operating in or near Venezuelan waters this month have already been sanctioned by the United States.

The U.S. military has also expanded its presence in the region in recent months, with American forces carrying out operations in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Since September, U.S. forces have conducted dozens of strikes on vessels suspected of trafficking narcotics, actions that U.S. officials say are part of a broader campaign to counter drug trafficking networks linked to Venezuela.