Washington [US], December 14: The US military has deployed various types of fighter jets along the Venezuelan coast, while numerous oil tankers are stranded in the area following the US seizure of a Caracas-based oil tanker.
Information regarding the activities of US bombers, fighter jets , and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been recorded along the Venezuelan coast in recent days.
Busy activity by US military aircraft.
AFP reported yesterday (December 13) that data analysis from the flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed that on December 9, two US Navy F/A-18 fighter jets circled the Gulf of Venezuela for more than 40 minutes. At one point, the pair of fighter jets were only about 35 km from the coast. Another military aircraft was also present to the north at the time the two F/A-18s took off.
On the same day, a long-range reconnaissance UAV continuously circled for several hours along a route of approximately 800 km over the Caribbean Sea. A high-altitude UAV also appeared in the same area on the morning of December 12th.
In addition, from the end of October to the end of November, Flightradar24 recorded five flights of B-1 and B-52 bombers, along with two flights of F/A-18 fighter jets, within 40 km of the Venezuelan coast.
Other military aircraft do not appear in Flightradar24 's data but have in fact flown over the area. For example, some photos released by the US military show bombers escorted by F-35 stealth fighters, but these do not appear on Flightradar24 .
Also yesterday, The Boston Globe quoted US Senator Peter Welch as saying that the Pentagon had ordered the deployment of the 158th Fighter Squadron of the Vermont Air Force to the Caribbean amid rising tensions with Venezuela.
According to Senator Welch, the deployment is part of Operation Southern Spearhead, aimed at combating drug trafficking in the region. Fighter Squadron 158, based in South Burlington, Vermont, consists of 20 F-35A Lightning II fighters and approximately 1,000 personnel.
Joseph Brooks, a spokesman for the Vermont National Guard, confirmed the unit had received orders from the Department of Defense, but did not disclose the location or details of the deployment. Information about the squadron's mission has not been made public, but the local newspaper Seven Days , citing informed sources, revealed that the unit will be stationed at a recently reopened military base in Puerto Rico. Some members of the Vermont National Guard have already departed for the base.
Venezuela's oil exports plummet.
In a related development, Venezuela 's oil exports have plummeted after the U.S. seized an oil tanker off its coast and imposed new sanctions on shipping companies doing business with the country, Al Jazeera reported yesterday.
According to Reuters, the movement of oil tankers in Venezuelan waters has been virtually paralyzed after Washington announced it would continue seizing more ships as part of a campaign to increase military pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Based on analysis of relevant data and documents, Reuters found that the US warning has left many oil tankers stranded in Venezuelan waters with no sign of resuming their journeys anytime soon. Reuters estimates that a total of approximately 11 million barrels of crude oil and fuel are currently "frozen" due to pressure from the US.
According to Agencia Venezuela News , Venezuelan Vice President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez filed a complaint with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), condemning Washington for violating freedom of navigation in the Caribbean through the "blatant hijacking" of an oil tanker. Prior to the tanker seizure , Venezuela exported approximately 952,000 barrels of crude oil and fuel per day in November.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper^