"Oil tankers remain off Venezuela's coast as the U.S. expands Operation Southern Spear, continuing the mid-December blockade aimed at pressuring President Nicolas Maduro’s government. Footage filmed on Monday in Anzoategui shows the idle tankers, while hydrocarbon processing continues at the Jose Antonio Anzoategui Industrial Complex. It is estimated that 17.5 million barrels of crude oil, worth around $900 million, remain stranded on vessels off Venezuela's coast due to the US blockade, according to a maritime tracking firm, Tanker Trackers. These figures have not been officially confirmed. On December 17, US President Donald Trump ordered a 'total blockade' on all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, accusing the government of Nicolas Maduro of 'stealing' United States assets. Despite the blockade, US oil company Chevron remains the only foreign firm allowed to operate in Venezuela, with Treasury Department approval to continue producing and selling Venezuelan crude. The US blockade adds to its military presence in the Caribbean, which it cites as a measure against drug trafficking, but Venezuela has called it a threat to its sovereignty."