U.S. Intensifies Maritime Pressure on Venezuela with New Oil Tanker Seizures

The United States government has reportedly prepared to seize additional oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela in an effort to disrupt the country’s sanctions-evading crude trade. Several U.S. officials confirmed that the administration is “moving toward more assertive maritime interdictions.”

U.S. Coast Guard and Navy personnel conducted a recent operation targeting a tanker named Skipper, which was found transporting sanctioned Venezuelan and Iranian crude. President Donald Trump described the seizure as targeting “oil tied to sanctioned networks” and stated that U.S. forces completed the mission “perfectly.” The captain of the Skipper, an Iranian national, was taken into U.S. custody and is expected to face charges related to sanctions violations.

Federal agencies are reviewing ownership records, cargo histories, and navigation patterns of tankers to determine which vessels could be seized under sanctions authorities. U.S. officials believe Venezuela has expanded its use of a “shadow fleet” of tankers operating through opaque registries and shell companies to circumvent sanctions.

The administration claims the increased maritime activity is necessary to counter trafficking networks that move narcotics into the United States, though critics argue the operations carry clear overtones of U.S. imperialism and could be interpreted as a regime-change strategy for Venezuela.

Venezuelan officials condemned the seizure, calling it “piracy” and accusing the United States of violating international maritime norms. The Maduro government stated that the tanker had departed Venezuelan waters legally and that the operation would harm an economy heavily dependent on crude exports.

When asked about the crude oil aboard the Skipper, Trump remarked, “We’ll keep it, I guess,” indicating U.S. willingness to confiscate cargo linked to sanctioned shipments.