The US has seized another Venezuela-linked tanker in the Caribbean, bringing the total number of vessels targeted by the US over alleged Venezuelan oil shipments to six.

The US forces boarded and seized a sanctioned oil tanker, the Veronica, in the Caribbean Sea on Thursday, the US Southern Command said in a social media post on Thursday.

The command added that Veronica had been operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s quarantine on sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.

“Alongside U.S. Sailors and Marines, our maritime fighting force is bringing every capability at our disposal to interdict ghost fleet tankers and uphold international law,” the US Coast Guard said in a social media post on Thursday.

The US has been stepping up efforts to control the flow of Venezuelan oil, following the ouster 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. 

Meanwhile, major container shipping firms continue to operate in Venezuela under close monitoring.