U.S. Prepares To Seize More Tankers Carrying Venezuelan Oil After First Interception

The United States is preparing to intercept more tankers transporting Venezuelan oil after seizing a vessel near the country’s coast this week, according to six people familiar with ongoing operations.

This was the first time the U.S. intercepted a Venezuelan oil tanker since sanctions were placed on the country in 2019, and it comes as Washington builds up its military presence in the southern Caribbean.

American forces boarded the tanker Skipper on Wednesday in a dramatic operation captured in video released by the White House.

The vessel, previously sanctioned for its involvement in oil trading linked to Iran, is expected to be brought to a U.S. port where the cargo will be confiscated through a formal legal process, officials said.

Sources said the U.S. has created a list of several more sanctioned tankers that may be targeted in the coming weeks. The Justice Department and Homeland Security had been preparing these operations for months.

Due to the latest seizure, shipowners and operators carrying Venezuelan crude are now reconsidering their routes, with some deciding not to leave Venezuelan waters for the moment.

A halt or reduction in Venezuelan crude exports, the country’s main source of government revenue, could place significant pressure on President Nicolás Maduro’s administration.

Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA did not respond to requests for comment, while the Venezuelan government described the U.S. seizure as “a theft.”

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt did not comment on whether more ship seizures were planned, but said the U.S. intended to continue enforcing sanctions policies. She stated that the administration would not “stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil,” adding that Washington believed such revenue supported narcoterrorism and rogue regimes.

Video Credits: Associated Press/YouTube

The U.S. Treasury also announced new sanctions on six supertankers that had recently loaded crude in Venezuela, based on PDVSA documents and ship-tracking data. Four Venezuelans were also sanctioned, including three relatives of First Lady Cilia Flores. It has not been confirmed whether these vessels are among those now being monitored for potential interception.

The capture of Skipper has already affected outgoing shipments. According to a trading executive involved in Venezuelan crude movements, one shipper suspended three fully loaded Merey crude voyages, amounting to almost six million barrels, scheduled to sail to Asia. The vessels are now anchored off the coast of Venezuela, where operators consider it safer to wait.

U.S. forces have increased monitoring of tankers at sea and vessels loading or undergoing repairs in Venezuelan ports. The timing of further seizures may depend on the availability of ports willing to accept detained ships, as many vessels operating in the so-called shadow fleet are older, lack top-tier insurance and have opaque ownership structures, making some ports reluctant to receive them.

Another tanker, the Seahorse, sanctioned by the UK and EU for Russian oil-related activity, was recently monitored by a U.S. warship and briefly detained before sailing into Venezuela, according to one source.

Caracas strongly criticised the seizure, calling it an act of “international piracy.” President Maduro said the U.S. had “kidnapped the crew” and “stolen the ship,” and claimed the operation formed part of a plan to overthrow him and take control of Venezuela’s oil resources.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello described U.S. forces as “murderers, thieves and pirates,” saying such actions were how Washington had started conflicts around the world.

However, legal experts said the seizure does not meet the international law definition of piracy because it was conducted by a state. Laurence Atkin-Teillet, a specialist in piracy law, said the Venezuelan government’s use of the term was rhetorical rather than legal.

This tanker seizure follows more than 20 U.S. strikes on vessels it claimed were drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific in recent months. U.S. officials say over 80 people were killed in those operations. Some experts argue the strikes may be extrajudicial, while the U.S. says they are aimed at stopping drug cartels it labels as terrorist organisations.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the latest sanctions, on Maduro’s relatives and several companies and ships, aimed to hold what he described as the regime and its associates accountable for ongoing crimes.

References: Reuters, kyivindependent