{"id":21740,"date":"2025-12-12T19:02:24","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T19:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=21740"},"modified":"2025-12-12T19:02:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T19:02:24","slug":"u-s-prepares-to-seize-more-tankers-carrying-venezuelan-oil-after-first-interception","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=21740","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Prepares To Seize More Tankers Carrying Venezuelan Oil After First Interception"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\n
<\/BR>
\n
\n \t

\n
<\/BR><\/p>\n

\n
\"US<\/div>\n
\"seizure\"
Screengrab from YT video posted by Associated Press<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The United States is preparing to intercept more tankers transporting Venezuelan oil after seizing a vessel near the country\u2019s coast this week, according to six people familiar with ongoing operations.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

American forces boarded the tanker Skipper on Wednesday in a dramatic operation captured in video released by the White House.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A halt or reduction in Venezuelan crude exports, the country\u2019s main source of government revenue, could place significant pressure on President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n

Venezuela\u2019s state oil company PDVSA did not respond to requests for comment, while the Venezuelan government described the U.S. seizure as \u201ca theft.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u201cstand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil,\u201d adding that Washington believed such revenue supported narcoterrorism and rogue regimes.<\/p>\n