US EditionSeized tanker will go to U.S. port, Trump administration intends 'to seize the oil'
The U.S. seized the Panama-flagged tanker Skipper and plans to target about 30 sanctioned vessels to enforce sanctions and disrupt alleged narcoterrorism funding.
- On Dec. 10, 2025, U.S. forces abseiled onto an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast during a raid, and President Donald Trump said, `Well, we keep it, I guess.`
- Attorney General Pam Bondi said the vessel had long been sanctioned for illicit shipping, citing its involvement in an illicit oil‑shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations, while the Department of Justice secured a warrant as it was a sanctioned shadow vessel.
- Analysts say the tanker Skipper carried 1.1 million barrels and appeared bound for Cuba, but Guyana Maritime Administration Department said Wednesday it was not registered there.
- Bob McNally said `there's a civil asset forfeiture process` and expects it to be followed in this case, referencing the 2024 sale of seized Iranian oil generating $47 million.
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Dec. 11 the tanker is under forfeiture and evidence is being collected, while Bondi wrote, "Our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues.
154 Articles
154 Articles
After Tanker Raid At Sea, Trump Signals Land Operations Against Venezuela Networks
Key Points Trump’s vow of “land operations” in Venezuela follows a dramatic U.S. seizure of a giant oil tanker off its coast. The Skipper tanker raid exposes a shadowy oil-and-drugs ecosystem that keeps Nicolás Maduro’s cash-starved regime alive. What looks like an anti-cartel push is also a test of U.S. power, global shipping rules and […]
Seized Oil Supertanker Stirs Tensions Between the U.S. and Venezuela
Seized Oil Supertanker Stirs Tensions Between the U.S. and Venezuela The oil supertanker Skipper, recently seized by the U.S. near Venezuela, is now charting a course towards Houston as part of a broader strategy to pressure President Nicolas Maduro. According to two informed sources, the Very Large Crude Carrier is loaded with approximately 1.85 million barrels of Venezuela's Merey heavy crude, which satellite images from TankerTrackers.com con…
Oil tanker seized by U.S. near Venezuela reportedly en route to Houston region
The Skipper was seized amid growing tensions between the Trump administration and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a conflict that has implications for the oil industry in Houston and beyond.
Drug war rationale emerges in tanker seizure; Noem faces calls to resign
The U.S. is now highlighting its significant seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker as part of a larger effort to fight drug trafficking, even as Venezuela describes the move as “piracy.” Plus, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem faced a heated hearing on Capitol Hill over immigration raids and FEMA’s storm response. Critics are now calling for her resignation. And in Indiana, a political shockwave. Republican state senators teamed up with Democrats to sink a…
Omaha World-Herald
Noem links tanker to drug war
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