🚨 GLOBAL OIL SHOCK: U.S. Seizes 2nd Tanker Near Venezuela 🛢️
The energy game just got intense. The U.S. has intercepted a second Venezuelan tanker, this time carrying 1.8M barrels of heavy crude bound for China.
Key Points:
Vessel: Centuries (Chinese-owned, Panama-flagged)
Cargo: Venezuela’s prized Merey 16 heavy crude
Move: Pre-dawn U.S. Coast Guard/DoD operation
Why it matters:
Supply crunch: Removing 1.8M barrels shakes global refineries.
Shadow Fleet risk: U.S. is cracking down on sanction-bypassing tankers.
China-U.S. tension: Beijing calls it "international piracy."
💹 Market impact: Oil prices feel the pressure, shipping rates spike, and risk premiums surge. When tankers get seized, barrels get scarcer—and markets notice.
