The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on four companies it said were operating in Venezuela’s oil sector, along with associated oil tankers.

The measures target oil traders engaged in alleged sanctions evasion and four vessels, some of which the department said are part of the so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers that facilitate blacklisted oil sales by disguising their ownership and cargo. 

Three of the newly sanctioned tankers—Panama-flagged Nord Star, Guinea-flagged Lunar Tide, and Hong Kong-flagged Della—transported Venezuelan crude or fuel this year to destinations in Asia and the Caribbean, Reuters reported, citing internal documents from Venezuela’s state energy company PDVSA and ship-tracking information. 

Another sanctioned vessel, the Hong Kong-flagged supertanker Valiant, is owned by one of the sanctioned companies, Aries Global Investment LTD, but PDVSA records show it has not carried Venezuelan crude, Reuters said.

Reuters reported that the supertanker Della, which had been scheduled to load crude at Venezuela’s José port this month, made a U-turn on December 21 after the U.S. Coast Guard tried to intercept two additional Venezuela-related vessels in the Caribbean, and tracking data now show it heading to Asia.

Earlier this month, Trump announced a blockade of all sanctioned vessels traveling in or out of Venezuelan waters. That move has helped cut Venezuela’s oil exports this month to about half of November levels, the news agency said. 

“President Trump has been clear: we will not allow the illegitimate Maduro regime to profit from exporting oil while it floods the United States with deadly drugs,” said U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent in a statement. “The Treasury Department will continue to implement President Trump’s campaign of pressure on Maduro’s regime.” 

Read more at the U.S. Treasury Department

Read more at Reuters