Suspected Chinese Tanker Detained by Venezuela 突发！疑似中国油轮被委内瑞拉扣留！

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On January 12, 2025, at Guamaque Port on Margarita Island, approximately 25 nautical miles off the coast of Venezuela, Venezuelan authorities detained a 45,000 deadweight tonnage product tanker. The stated reason was that the vessel was navigating in the waters without permission and was flying a fake Guyanese flag. At the time of detention, there were crew members of Chinese nationality on board.

The scene of the detention included the coast guard, anti-drug intelligence, and military counterintelligence personnel.

Venezuela mentioned that, according to AIS data,the vessel left Ningbo, China, on November 22, 2024, and arrived at Point Lisas Anchorage in Trinidad and Tobago on January 5, 2025. The AIS signal stopped after that, making it unclear when the tanker entered the Venezuelan waters.

Following the incident, an investigative joint committee was formed, consisting of Captain Jackson Bacalao Gonzalez, the commanding officer of the main station of the Pampata Coast Guard, personnel affiliated with the Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), the Regional Drug Enforcement Intelligence Unit 71, the Bolivarian National Migration Police, and the National Institute of Nautical and Aerial Space (INEA).

The joint committee, under the instructions of Lieutenant General Leonardo Alberto Castellano Molina, the commander of the Integrated Defense Operation Zone of the Eastern Islands, continued to detain the tanker and ordered the relevant investigations.

2025年1月12日，在距离委内瑞拉海岸约 25 英里的玛格丽塔岛的瓜马切港，委内瑞拉当局拘留了一艘45000载重吨的成品油轮，提及原因是其在未经许可的情况下在水域航行并悬挂假圭亚那国旗，被扣留时船上有中国国籍的船员。

被扣留现场包括海岸警卫队、反毒情报和军事反间谍人员。

委内瑞拉提及，根据AIS数据，该船于2024年11月22日离开中国宁波，并于2025年1月5日抵达特立尼达和多巴哥的利萨斯锚地。AIS 信号在此之后停止，因此不清楚油轮何时进入委内瑞拉水域。

事件发生后由船长杰克逊·巴卡拉奥·冈萨雷斯、潘帕塔海岸警卫队主要站指挥官、隶属于军事反情报总局（DGCIM）、地区禁毒71情报股、玻利瓦尔国家移民警察和国家水上空间研究所（INEA）的人员组成调查联合委员会。

联合委员会根据海洋东岛屿综合防御行动区指挥官莱昂纳多·阿尔贝托·卡斯特利亚诺·莫利纳中将的指示，继续扣留油轮，他还下令进行有关调查。

Similarly, a detention incident occurred in July 2024. At that time, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency reported that on July 19, a Chinese 300,000-ton ultra-large oil tanker caught fire about 55 kilometers northeast of Pedra Branca Island in Singapore. After the fire was extinguished, the Malaysian authorities instructed the vessel to remain at the scene to assist with the investigation. However, on the early morning of July 21, when the Malaysian government vessels returned to the scene, they found that the ship had vanished.

Subsequently, the Malaysian authorities immediately dispatched aircraft to track the vessel. Eventually, the oil tanker was spotted in Malaysian waters northeast of Pulau Tioman Island, and ships were quickly dispatched to intercept and detain it. The Malaysian authorities stated that after the accident, the oil tanker was suspected of secretly shutting down its Automatic Identification System (AIS) and leaving the scene without permission.

However, on July 30, the head of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency stated at a press conference that the oil tanker had drifted away from the scene due to a broken anchor chain and was carried by the waves. Additionally, there were issues with the communication and navigation systems.

无独有偶，2024年7月也发生过扣押事件。当时，马来西亚海事执法局称，7月19日，在新加坡白礁岛东北约55公里处，一艘中国30万吨超大型油轮发生大火。火势扑灭之后，马国当局指示该船留在事发地点，协助调查。不过，在21日凌晨，马国政府船只回到事发现场时，发现其不知所踪。

随后马国当局立即派出飞机追踪。最后，在刁曼岛东北的马国水域发现该油轮踪迹，迅速派船拦截，将之扣押。马国当局表示，发生事故后，该油轮涉嫌偷偷关闭自动识别系统，未经许可离开事发现场。

然而，在7月30日，马来西亚海事处处长在新闻发布会上表示，这艘油轮是因为锚链断裂，随波逐流，才漂离了事发地点，同时通讯系统和导航系统出现了问题。

The detention of vessels is a common occurrence in international shipping. This not only affects the normal operations of shipping companies but can also have a ripple effect on international trade and the global economy. To maintain the stability and healthy development of the shipping industry and ensure that vessel detentions are handled properly, a fair and impartial investigation is essential.

Firstly, a fair and impartial investigation is the foundation for protecting the legitimate rights and interests of shipping companies. When a vessel is detained, whether due to legal disputes, safety accidents, or other reasons, a transparent and fair investigation process is necessary to determine liability. This not only helps protect the interests of the company owning the detained vessel but also maintains a fair competitive environment in the shipping market.

Secondly, ensuring fairness in shipping is an important prerequisite for international economic cooperation. Shipping is the lifeline of global trade, and any unfair detention can trigger trade disputes and affect economic relations between countries. Therefore, countries should work together to establish a set of fair and transparent international shipping rules and dispute resolution mechanisms to ensure that every detention incident is resolved within a fair framework.

Lastly, a fair and impartial investigation helps enhance the overall trust in international shipping. When a vessel is detained, if the issue can be resolved quickly through a just investigation, it will strengthen the confidence of shipping companies and trade partners in the international shipping environment. This not only helps reduce unnecessary legal disputes but also promotes the long-term stable development of the shipping industry.

船只被扣押事件在国际航运中时有发生，这不仅影响了航运公司的正常运营，还可能对国际贸易和全球经济产生连锁反应。为了维护航运业的稳定和健康发展，确保船只被扣押事件得到妥善处理，必须进行公平公正的调查。

首先，公平公正的调查是保障航运公司合法权益的基础。当船只被扣押时，无论是由于法律纠纷、安全事故还是其他原因，都需要通过透明、公正的调查程序来确定责任归属。这不仅有助于保护被扣押船只所属公司的利益，也能维护航运市场的公平竞争环境。

其次，确保航运的公平性是国际经济合作的重要前提。航运是全球贸易的命脉，任何不公平的扣押行为都可能引发贸易争端，影响国家间的经济关系。因此，各国应共同努力，建立一套公正、透明的国际航运规则和争端解决机制，确保每一起扣押事件都能在公平的框架内得到解决。

最后，公平公正的调查有助于提升国际航运的整体信任度。当船只被扣押时，如果能够通过公正的调查迅速解决问题，将增强航运公司和贸易伙伴对国际航运环境的信心。这不仅有助于减少不必要的法律纠纷，还能促进航运业的长期稳定发展。