U.S. military provocations aimed at Venezuela in the Caribbean are an ever present risk. Bloomberg reported early Nov. 21 that a U.S. warship, the destroyer USS Stockdale, blocked the transit of a Russian tanker, called the Seahorse, across the Caribbean to Venezuela. According to the report, the Seahorse has tried to go to Venezuela from Cuba three times in the last ten days, but all three times the Stockdale crossed its path. Each time the Seahorse, carrying a cargo of naphtha, made U-turns and was reported to be idling in the Caribbean.
The warship’s intention with regard to the Russian vessel is unclear, and a spokesperson for U.S. Southern Command declined to comment on the ship’s movements. The question not asked by Bloomberg, or anyone else, as far as this news service can determine, is whether the actions of the Stockdale can be considered a blockade. Under international law, a blockade is an act of war.
In the air, the FAA issued a warning yesterday, in the form of a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), of a “potentially hazardous situation” when flying over Venezuela and urged them to exercise caution, Reuters reported on Nov. 21. The FAA notice cited the “worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela” and said threats could pose risks for aircraft at all altitudes.
The NOTAM does not prohibit U.S. operators from flying in Venezuela-controlled airspace, but does require U.S. airlines to provide the FAA with at least 72 hours advance notice of planned flights. “Venezuela has conducted multiple military exercises and directed the mass mobilization of thousands of military and reserve forces,” the FAA said, but adding that at no point had Venezuela expressed an intent to target civil aviation. Direct flights by U.S. passenger or cargo carriers to Venezuela have been suspended since 2019, but some U.S. airlines fly over the country for some South American flights.
