The US is seizing the Olina tanker near Trinidad in the Caribbean, marking the fifth recent ship capture in the region. This move is part of Washington's efforts to control Venezuelan oil exports, said two US officials on Friday. According to the public shipping database Equasis, the Olina was falsely flying the flag of Timor Leste, a small south-east Asian nation. An industry source said the tanker had sailed from Venezuela and returned to the area recently. British maritime firm Vanguard reported, “The vessel’s AIS (location) tracker was last active 52 days ago in the Venezuelan EEZ, north-east of Curacao.” They added, “The seizure follows a prolonged pursuit of tankers linked to sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments in the region.” The Olina left Venezuela last week fully loaded as part of a flotilla shortly after the US seized Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro on January 3. The tanker was returning full to Venezuela amid a US blockade of Venezuelan oil exports, the source explained. The US imposed sanctions on the tanker's previous name, Minerva M, in January last year. Washington said it was part of a shadow fleet of ships that operate with little regulation or known insurance. More details are expected soon.