US EditionUS preparing to seize more tankers off Venezuela's coast after first ship taken: Report
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.
127 Articles
127 Articles
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
WASHINGTON
The Skipper, an oil tanker sanctioned by the United States in 2022, transported 1.1 million barrels of Venezuelan oilThe Trump Administration, after arresting an oil tanker in front of Venezuela: “We are focused on doing many things in our backyard” The United States has captured an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, a ship that had already been sanctioned by the United States in 2022, although sailing under another name. This operation furt…
The U.S. seized the crude oil of a tanker that was set up off the coast of Venezuela.
Exclusive: US preparing to seize more tankers off Venezuela's coast after first ship taken, sources say
The U.S. is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil following the seizure of a tanker this week, as it increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, six sources familiar with the matter said.
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