Images shared on social media also show US troops practising rappelling from an aircraft along the coast, prompting speculation they plan to launch a second attempt to board the vessel.
British officials reportedly fear seizing the tanker could spark retaliation from Russia, but at the same time are wary of alienating the US by refusing support.
The US last month apprehended two oil tankers, the Skipper and the Centuries, around Venezuela, declaring they were part of a “shadow fleet” that transports illicit oil evading sanctions regimes.
President Donald Trump has said his naval blockade of Venezuela will remain in place, along with the US “armada” assembled in the Caribbean, despite capturing Nicolás Maduro, the former Venezuelan leader, in an early morning raid on Saturday.
The operation, which saw the Venezuelan leader bundled into a helicopter from his Caracas compound, has also proved a flashpoint in relations with Moscow.
On Monday, Vassily Nebenzia, Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, criticised Trump’s “act of armed aggression” and accused the US of acting illegally.
The Telegraph, London
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