The US has seized another Venezuela-linked tanker in the Caribbean, bringing the total number of vessels seized by the US for links to the transportation of unauthorised Venezuelan oil to seven.

The US military forces detained the tanker, Sagitta, without incident on Tuesday, the US Southern Command said in a social media post on Tuesday.

“The apprehension of another tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean demonstrates our resolve to ensure that the only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully,” it said.

Last week, the US boarded and seized a sanctioned oil tanker, Veronica, in the Caribbean Sea.

The US has been stepping up efforts to control the flow of Venezuelan oil following the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The country recently granted Vitol and Trafigura licences to trade Venezuelan oil, with reports suggesting some may head to China and India in March.