US EditionVenezuela accuses US of 'blatant theft' after tanker seized in Caribbean
The U.S. seized the largest sanctioned Venezuelan oil tanker to disrupt illicit shipments and cut revenue to Maduro amid a mounting military buildup in the Caribbean.
- On December 10, 2025, U.S. forces seized and boarded the VLCC Skipper off Venezuela, targeting the tanker for allegedly transporting Venezuelan oil to Iran.
- The Trump administration is preparing to seize additional tankers, targeting a shadow fleet that moves sanctioned oil to China, while the U.S. Treasury Department sanctions update added over a dozen entities Thursday.
- U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Department of Homeland Security planned seizures for months while U.S. forces increased surveillance of tankers near Venezuela and Guyana, prompting suspension of three voyages carrying almost 6 million barrels of Merey crude.
- Venezuelan government officials denounced the action as theft, but Laurence Atkin-Teillet said, `Because the capture was endorsed and sanctioned by the U.S., it cannot be considered piracy`; reduced oil exports would strain Maduro's finances and make ports reluctant to receive vessels.
- Markets for now are focused on Ukraine peace talks; Venezuela exports about 749,000 barrels per day this year, with Brent crude at $61.11 and U.S. crude at $57.42.
171 Articles
171 Articles
Washington, Dec 12 (EFE).- The United States seized on Tuesday an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in a spectacular military macro-operation that marks a new episode in the escalation of tension between Washington and Caracas.The US president, Donald Trump, announced the operation and assured that his country will keep the oil that was transporting the ship, while the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, called it an act of “criminal pirac…
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by Geoffrey Grinder, Now The End Begins: US commandos from the Department of War stormed a Venezuelan oil tanker in a breathtaking airborne takedown amid ratcheting tensions in the Caribbean. The breaking news that U.S. commandos stormed and seized a Venezuelan oil tanker is not simply another geopolitical dust-up — it is a visible sign of […]
The conflict between the US and Venezuela is intensifying.
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