The US seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday (December 10), marking a major escalation in President Trump’s pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Speaking at the White House, the president confirmed the operation, describing the captured vessel as “a large tanker, very large,” and hinting that “other things are happening,” without offering further detail.
Although Mr Trump declined to say who owned the tanker or specify what would happen to its oil, he added, “We keep it, I guess,” signalling Washington’s intent to target Venezuela’s most valuable economic lifeline.
According to three US officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the ship was carrying Venezuelan crude oil, and the crew did not resist during the seizure. No casualties were reported.
Rising Military Tensions
In recent months, President Trump has ordered a increase in military presence in the Caribbean, deploying more than 15,000 troops and a dozen ships, including the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford. He has also authorized covert operations against Venezuela and warned that the US could expand its targets from maritime vessels to assets inside the country.
U.S. forces seized a massive oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.
According to President Trump, “It’s the largest one ever seized… and that the US will keep the oil.”
It’s never been about narcotics; it was always for the oil. pic.twitter.com/hC1evZQFiG
— Anmol (@anmol_kaundilya) December 11, 2025
The Stakes for Venezuela
The seizure poses a significant blow to Venezuela’s already fragile economy. Oil revenues make up the majority of the country’s export earnings, and the government relies heavily on these funds to import food, medicine, and other essential supplies. Although Venezuela has some of the largest untapped oil reserves in the world, years of corruption, mismanagement and US sanctions have drastically reduced its production.
Once heavily dependent on the United States as a buyer, Venezuela now sends nearly 80% of its oil exports to China. Smaller amounts still reach the United States and Cuba, where Venezuelan crude is critical to the island’s economic stability.
Venezuela Accuses the US of ‘International Piracy’
In a sharply worded statement, Venezuela condemned the US action as a “barefaced robbery and an act of international piracy.” Officials in Caracas argued that the seizure was part of a larger attempt by Washington to strip the country of its oil wealth and destabilize its fragile economy.
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused President Maduro of running a “narcoterrorist” cartel. However, many US analysts say these actions are ultimately aimed at pushing regime change. The US is doing all these just to have control over the rich Oil resources of Venezuela. The US is militarising and tightening its grip under the shadow of Narcotics just to get Venezuelan oil.
Also Read: Trump Closes Venezuela’s Airspace: Rising U.S.–Maduro Tensions Spark Military Alert
The scale of operation can be understood by the numbers. According to NYT reports, since September 2025, the US has conducted more than 22 strikes on boats in the region. The operations it claims were directed at drug smugglers. Yet legal experts warn that such strikes violates international law, as the administration has not publicly provided evidence to support its claims. These operations have killed more than 80 people, which is huge when it comes to peacetime casualties.
A Video of the Raid Surfaces
On December 10 evening, Attorney General Pam Bondi posted a video on social media showing armed US personnel rappelling from a helicopter onto the deck of the tanker. Although the footage has not been independently verified, she said the operation involved multiple agencies, including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard, with support from the Pentagon.
Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. For multiple… pic.twitter.com/dNr0oAGl5x
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) December 10, 2025
Bondi alleged that the tanker had been transporting “sanctioned oil” from both Venezuela and Iran — two countries under heavy US economic restrictions.
Officials also said further seizures are expected in the coming weeks as Washington intensifies efforts to weaken Maduro by disrupting Venezuela’s oil exports.
The Tanker Identified as the Skipper
One US official identified the tanker as the Skipper, a vessel carrying crude from Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). The official added that the ship had previously been linked to smuggling Iranian oil, a global illicit trade that US prosecutors have tracked for years.
Although the ship’s transponder indicated it was anchored near Guyana and Suriname, satellite imagery and photographs reviewed by The New York Times revealed that it was actually operating off Venezuela’s coast. For example, a satellite image from Nov. 18 showed the tanker docked at Venezuela’s José oil terminal, contradicting its broadcast location.
Moreover, a photograph taken from land confirmed the tanker was loading oil, sitting low in the water due to what analysts estimate to be nearly two million barrels of crude.
A History of Sanctions and Deception
According to TankerTrackers.com, a firm that monitors global shipping, said the Skipper has transported almost 13 million barrels of Iranian and Venezuelan oil since 2021. The vessel is part of the so-called “dark fleet,” a network of ships. According to the site, the obscure their movements by manipulating their transponders, traveling without proper documentation, or switching flags to avoid detection.
The ship, operating under a different name, was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in 2022 for participating in an international oil smuggling network that generated revenue for Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Quds Force. According to TankerTrackers.com, the tanker also delivered Iranian oil to Syria in 2024, helping President Bashar al-Assad sustain his government during the civil war.
A federal judge reportedly issued a seizure warrant for the vessel two weeks ago, based on its previous involvement in Iranian oil smuggling rather than its current Venezuelan cargo. The warrant remains sealed, and US officials have not clarified whether the order applies to the ship itself, the crude oil, or both.
