The U.S. has seized two "ghost fleet" tankers, which attempt to bypass sanctions, in back-to-back operations, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said. The Russian-flagged Marinera was boarded in the North Atlantic after a pursuit lasting almost two weeks, while the Sophia was apprehended in the Caribbean. Noem said the two vessels "were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it." The seizures come as the U.S. seeks to choke off most exports of Venezuelan oil, the sales of which it has said it will control "indefinitely." China, the biggest buyer of Venezuelan crude, has accused Washington of threatening global energy security.
