The open war against the oil phantom fleet'

"To trace the path of the Skipper, a ship that was intercepted on December 10 by the United States off the coast of Venezuela, is to follow the trail of a piece of the illegal oil industry. This single cargo ship was representative of the many actors and practices involved in an illicit trade that keeps the crude oil flowing even where international sanctions are trying to shut it off."

"The vessel, which has been operational for 20 years, was flying the Guyanese flag, although this South American country has denied having any records of it. Its last cargo was 1.8 million barrels of crude oil. Three years ago, the U.S. Treasury had already sanctioned the ship, then named Adisa, for smuggling cargo on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah."

The Skipper was intercepted on December 10 by the United States off the coast of Venezuela. The ship had operated for 20 years and flew the Guyanese flag despite Guyana denying any records of it. The last cargo measured 1.8 million barrels of crude oil. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned the vessel three years earlier, when it sailed as Adisa, for smuggling on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah. The ship belonged to Triton Navigation Corp., owned by Viktor Artemov. Washington framed the capture as part of an offensive against drug trafficking, alleging Venezuela funds drugs with oil revenue. TankerTrackers reported many nearby tankers were on U.S. sanctions lists; other intercepted vessels included Centuries and the sanctioned Bella 1.

Read at english.elpais.com