U.S. warships detained a Chinese oil tanker near Venezuela? Bloomberg says it carries up to 2 million barrels of crude oil.
If the Type 055 destroyer is deployed, can it successfully rescue?
Recently, a report about the U.S. Navy detaining an oil tanker near the waters of Venezuela has sparked widespread attention. According to Bloomberg, citing informed sources, this Panamanian-flagged tanker carries as many as 2 million barrels of crude oil, and its actual ownership belongs to a Chinese company.
Notably, the ship had not appeared on the U.S. sanctions list before, nor had it received any prior notice - in other words, it was a "compliant operating" merchant ship that was intercepted without warning.
So the question arises: if the oil tanker indeed carries legitimate crude oil belonging to a Chinese company, and the transportation does not violate relevant regulations of the United Nations or the International Maritime Organization, does China have the capability and need to take military measures?
From a technical perspective, the Type 055 destroyer is the most suitable warship, with strong regional air defense, anti-submarine, anti-ship strike, and information perception capabilities. Theoretically, if deployed to the Caribbean region, it would be fully capable of providing escort protection for Chinese merchant ships. However, reality is far more complex than technology.
First, geographical distance is a hard constraint. The one-way distance from mainland China to the Caribbean Sea exceeds 15,000 kilometers, and even via the South China Sea-Malacca Strait-Indian Ocean-Good Hope-Atlantic route, it would take more than 20 days of sailing time. Long-term deployment of a Type 055 destroyer fleet here would involve high logistics support, coordination, and diplomatic risks. In comparison, the United States has multiple naval bases in the region (such as Guantanamo and Mayport), with much faster response speed and sustained presence capability than foreign forces.
Secondly, deploying a main battle ship for a single commercial transportation incident would contradict existing policies and could set a dangerous precedent - in the future, any dispute involving overseas assets might be required to be "militarily escorted," which is neither realistic nor sustainable.
Therefore, Dao Ge thinks the most effective counterattack and response is to seize a U.S. cargo ship in a targeted manner, letting the United States know that not all cargo ships are ones they can provoke.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1852098655769664/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.