1 week ago
6
Venezuela on Monday announced that it has terminated, with “immediate effect,” all existing contracts, agreements and negotiations with Trinidad and Tobago, accusing Port of Spain of complicity in the United States’ seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker last week.
- Advertisement -
In a statement posted on Instagram, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said President Nicolás Maduro made the decision in response to what she described as an “escalation of hostilities and serious aggressions” following the December 10 seizure of the tanker by U.S. authorities.
Caracas has repeatedly characterized the seizure as an act of piracy. Rodríguez said Venezuela has “full knowledge” of Trinidad and Tobago’s participation in what she described as the “theft” of Venezuelan oil carried out by the U.S. administration through the interception of a ship transporting the product.
The statement described the incident as “a serious violation of international law and a clear transgression of the principles of free navigation and trade.” It also accused Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of pursuing a “hostile agenda against Venezuela” since assuming office.
Among the allegations, Rodríguez claimed that the Persad-Bissessar administration facilitated the “installation of U.S. military radars” in Trinidad and Tobago to harass Venezuelan ships, asserting that Venezuela considers the prime minister to have turned the country into a “U.S. aircraft carrier to attack Venezuela, in an unequivocal act of vassalage.”
President Maduro has also denounced the Energy Cooperation Framework Agreement previously signed with Trinidad and Tobago. Rodríguez said the Venezuelan government has decided to sever energy ties with the Caribbean nation in response to what it called a “very serious act that aims to blatantly steal Venezuela’s oil.”
“Venezuela demands respect! And it will not allow any colonial entity and its vassals to threaten the sacred sovereignty of the country and its right to development. Venezuela will always prevail,” Rodríguez said.
The dispute follows confirmation last Wednesday by Guyana that the oil tanker seized by the United States was falsely flying the Guyana flag and is not registered in the country. In a statement, Guyana’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) said it has observed the “proliferation and unacceptable use” of the Guyana flag by vessels not registered there.
MARAD said the U.S. government informed the agency that it encountered the Motor Tanker SKIPPER (ex-ADISA), IMO Number 9304667, in international waters, falsely displaying the Guyana flag.
- Advertisement -
U.S. President Donald Trump said the SKIPPER was the largest crude tanker ever seized by American authorities and confirmed that the United States would seize the oil aboard the vessel. Venezuelan authorities again described the seizure as piracy.
Trinidad PM says Venezuela’s claims are ‘propaganda’
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar has dismissed Venezuela’s accusations that Trinidad and Tobago colluded with the United States as “false propaganda.” She said that if the Venezuelan government has concerns about the seizure of the tanker SKIPPER, they should address them directly with President Trump.
“They should direct their complaints to President Trump, as it is the U.S. military that has seized the sanctioned oil tanker,” she said, adding that Trinidad and Tobago continues to maintain peaceful relations with the Venezuelan people.
Persad-Bissessar also told Guardian Media she is unconcerned by the Maduro administration’s threat to terminate natural gas arrangements, stating that Trinidad and Tobago has never depended on Venezuela for gas supplies.
“We have adequate reserves within our territory. We are aggressively working to reduce bureaucratic barriers to speed up approvals for energy companies,” she said, noting that bureaucracy remains the main obstacle to exploration and production.
Former energy minister and energy expert Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan echoed that assessment, saying the developments involving Venezuela come as no shock and do not represent a major blow to Trinidad and Tobago, as no Venezuelan gas had been flowing to the country in the first place.
She said the framework governing unitisation agreements for cross-border fields remains in place but does not revive projects that were already stalled or shut down. Looking ahead, Seepersad-Bachan warned that Trinidad and Tobago must seek alternative sources of gas as domestic reserves decline and foreign exchange pressures increase, cautioning against expectations of quick solutions from other regional players.
For the foreseeable future, she said, the country’s most realistic option is to accelerate development of its own acreage and pursue viable partnerships, accepting that Venezuelan gas will not be part of the equation.
English (US) ·