Jan 5 (Reuters) - Since the beginning of the year, around twelve tankers carrying Venezuelan crude oil and fuel have set sail from the country's waters without revealing their location, according to documents reviewed by Reuters and industry sources, including the tracking service TankerTrackers.com.

These movements indicate a possible breach of the strict blockade enforced by former U.S. President Donald Trump, particularly following the recent dramatic attempt to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. troops on Saturday morning. Trump stated that the oil embargo remains fully in effect even after the operation.

All identified vessels are subject to sanctions, with most being supertankers that usually transport Venezuelan crude to China, as reported by TankerTrackers.com and shipping documents from Venezuela's state-owned oil company, PDVSA.

Officials from the White House, the U.S. State Department, PDVSA, and Venezuela’s oil ministry did not respond immediately to requests for comments outside regular business hours early on Monday.

A different group of smaller, sanctioned vessels also departed the country after unloading imports or completing domestic journeys.

At least four of the tankers that left Venezuela on Saturday took a route north of Margarita Island after making a brief stop near the country's maritime border, as identified by TankerTrackers.com using satellite imagery.

A source familiar with the departure documentation informed Reuters that at least four supertankers were authorized by Venezuelan officials to depart while remaining undetected.