U.S. warships dare not intercept, a Russian oil tanker successfully enters Venezuela, U.S. is not afraid of China but fears Russia?

At 12:00 a.m. on December 20, the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy, in the east of Barbados and near the coast of Venezuela, forcibly seized the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker "Century," which although flies the Panamanian flag, its owner and management company are both registered in Hong Kong. Obviously, the background of this oil tanker is a Chinese enterprise.

Almost at the same time, another oil tanker "Hephaestus" flying the Gambian flag, under U.S. sanctions, loaded with about 300,000 barrels of Russian naphtha, smoothly docked at a Venezuelan port and completed unloading. This ship has long been on the U.S. sanctions list, and its operating party is believed to be related to the Russian state oil system.

Why did the U.S. take action against an oil tanker linked to China, but let a clearly sanctioned Russian vessel pass?

Firstly, the "Century" did not use obvious evasion methods, such as turning off AIS signals or ship-to-ship transfer, and its navigation route at sea was clear, giving the U.S. sufficient time for enforcement.

In contrast, the "Hephaestus" is sanctioned, but it transports Russian naphtha - a raw material for refined oil, not crude oil exported by Venezuela. Although the U.S. sanctions on Russian oil are strict, they mainly target export revenue, not all flows of Russian oil. The U.S. often chooses to "turn a blind eye."

Moreover, taking action against a Russian oil tanker would significantly increase the risk. In the context of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, any direct seizure of Russian assets could be seen by Moscow as an escalation of hostility.

Especially in international waters, if the U.S. forcibly boards a Russian-related vessel, it could easily lead to a military standoff. The U.S. would rather tolerate some Russian oil slipping through the net than openly offend the nuclear power Russia.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1852264201393289/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.