About a dozen oil tankers loaded with Venezuelan crude and fuel have left the country's waters since the start of the year in apparent defiance of the U.S. government's blockade on exports, according to documents seen by Reuters ‌and industry sources including monitoring service TankerTrackers.com. U.S. President Donald Trump imposed…

Venezuela could lose the bulk of its oil export revenues this year if the U.S. blockade stays in place, according to internal government estimates, a scenario that would set off a humanitarian crisis.

The deceptive tactics appear to be part of a seemingly coordinated attempt to bypass American naval forces in the region and could trigger US military action.

At least 16 sanctioned oil tankers fled Venezuelan ports in a coordinated attempt to overwhelm the US naval blockade.