United States seizure of the oil tanker Skipper

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United States seizure of the oil tanker Skipper
Part of Operation Southern Spear and 2025 United States naval deployment in the Caribbean
A video of the seizure of Skipper published by United States attorney general Pam Bondi on X
TypeShip seizure
Location
Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela
Planned byFlag of the United States.svg United States
TargetSanctioned oil tankers trading in and out of Venezuela
DateDecember 10, 2025 (2025-12-10)
Executed by
OutcomeSkipper and Centuries seized by the United States
CasualtiesNone

As part of Operation Southern Spear, the United States enacted a naval quarantine on sanctioned oil tankers traveling in and out of Venezuela on 17 December 2025, after placing additional sanctions affecting oil trade with the country. A week before announcing the quarantine, the US seized the oil tanker Skipper in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela on 10 December, and then focused its military efforts on intercepting and pursuing other tankers trading with Venezuela.

Contents

Skipper had been sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury in 2022 for alleged involvement in an oil trafficking shadow fleet of vessels involving the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah. The seizure involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Homeland Security, the United States Marine Corps, and the United States Coast Guard (USCG).

The Venezuelan government condemned the seizure of Skipper, describing it as an "act of international piracy". [1] The UN condemned the naval quarantine, and analysts said US actions tested maritime law.

Background

On 7 August 2025, the United States Department of Justice raised a reward for the arrest of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro to US$50 million; Maduro was indicted by a US federal court in 2020 and is accused of narcoterrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine to the United States. [2] [3] The Trump administration accuses the Maduro government of flooding the US with drugs, and has pressured Maduro to step down. [4] [5] Over the following months, the United States Navy conducted its largest naval deployment in the Caribbean Sea since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. [6] As a part of the naval deployment, the US began launching air strikes on alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea in September. By 10 December, the United States had carried out 22 air strikes that killed at least 87 people. [7]

The Venezuelan economy is heavily reliant on oil exports. Venezuelan oil is extracted and exported by PDVSA, a state-run oil company. Oil production has significantly decreased since the early 2000s due to corruption, PDVSA mismanagement, and sanctions implemented on the country by the United States. [8] In March 2025, United States president Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14245 that placed a 25% tariff on any country that imported Venezuelan oil due to Venezuela being "very hostile". [9] In August, Venezuelan defense minister Vladimir Padrino López announced that the Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela would be deployed to protect Venezuela's main oil hub. [10] Maduro has said that the United States wants to seize Venezuela's oil and announced in October that the Bolivarian Army of Venezuela was mobilized to repel a land invasion. [11]

The Russian tanker Seahorse, sanctioned by the European Union and the UK, attempting to deliver naphtha (a product necessary to help export Venezuela's heavy crude) to Venezuela was forced several times by USS Stockdale to turn back towards Cuba, [12] although it eventually reached Venezuela. [13] [14]

Initial event

Skipper

Skipper, previously named Adisa (IMO number 9304667), is owned by Triton Navigation Corp., based in the Marshall Islands [1] [15] [16] and operated by Nigeria-based Thomarose Global Ventures. [17] At 310,309 DWT, it was built by Imabari Shipbuilding at Saijō, Ehime, Japan, in 2005 as yard number 2507, named Toyo and managed by the Japanese NYK Line. [18] The supertanker is a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), making it too large for some ports. [19]

In November 2022, the United States Department of the Treasury placed sanctions against Adisa, for allegedly being involved in an oil smuggling network that financed both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah. [1] [16] The network was led by a Ukrainian citizen living in Switzerland, Viktor Sergiyovitch Artemov, who was sanctioned by Office of Foreign Assets Control. [20] Artemov was a Russian oil magnate and was accused by the US of coordinating a global Iranian "oil smuggling network" with the help of Triton Navigation. [21]

According to a New York Times analysis of satellite imagery and data from TankerTrackers.com, Skipper issued false transponder readings from October to December 2025 that falsified the ship's location. TankerTrackers.com co-founder Samir Madani referred to Skipper as being part of a "global dark fleet" of tankers that falsify their location information. [22] Moments before the seizure, the tanker was flying the Guyanese flag, despite not being registered in that country. [23] Reportedly, Skipper docked at least twice in Iran since July 2025, and in Hong Kong in August 2025. [20]

Seizure

On 10 December, ten United States Coast Guard personnel, ten United States Marine Corps personnel, and a number of special forces soldiers aboard two helicopters launched from USS Gerald R. Ford boarded and took control of Skipper shortly after it left a Venezuelan port. [1] [24]

Skipper had left Puerto José in Venezuela on 4 December with about 1.8 million barrels of crude oil from PDVSA. [15] [25] Soon after its departure, near Curaçao, the tanker offloaded a portion of its oil to another ship, Neptune 6, which was en route to Cuba. Skipper then turned east, headed towards Asia. The oil tanker was in international waters between Grenada and Trinidad when it was boarded by US forces. [26] [27]

According to US attorney general Pam Bondi and anonymous US officials, Skipper was seized in accordance with a seizure warrant issued two weeks earlier by a federal judge for allegedly transporting "sanctioned oil". [8] [25] [28] The ship was seized on the day the warrant was set to expire. [29] Anonymous US officials stated to The New York Times that the sealed warrant was issued "because of the ship's past activities smuggling Iranian oil, not because of links to the Maduro government", while Bondi stated it had transported both Venezuelan and Iranian crude. [8] [30]

Bondi posted a short video excerpt of the seizure on X, adding that it was "conducted safely and securely" and was part of an investigation "to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil". [1] [6] According to The New York Times, three anonymous United States government officials said Skipper's crew did not resist, there were no casualties, and they expected that more seizures would occur in the following weeks as "part of the administration's efforts to weaken Mr. Maduro's government by undermining its oil market". [8]

Additional US sanctions and quarantine on sanctioned vessels

The day after the Skipper seizure, additional sanctions targeting Maduro's family and oil shipments were imposed by the US, [31] intent on placing financial pressure on Maduro via "maximum" enforcement of sanctions. [4] [5] Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the United Nations, stated in a December meeting of the UN Security Council that the sanctioned vessels provide the "primary economic lifeline" that furthers Maduro's "ability to sell Venezuela's oil", enabling "his fraudulent claim to power and his narco-terrorist activities". [3]

Among those sanctioned were six companies and six vessels that had recently transported Venezuelan crude, and Ramón Carretero Napolitano, a Panamanian who allegedly had business ties to Maduro's family involving oil. [32] [33] [34]

On 17 December, Trump announced a "blockade" targeting sanctioned oil tankers trading in and out of Venezuela. [35] Because the action is limited to sanctioned oil tankers, it is better described as a quarantine; a blockade is an act of war, while enforcing sanctions is a legal matter. [36] [37] [38] One week later, US officials said Trump had ordered the "military to focus 'almost exclusively' on interdicting Venezuelan oil", without specifying what that exclusive focus meant. [4]

Subsequent interdiction activity

The US planned additional seizures of vessels transporting Venezuelan crude. [39] [32]

Centuries

On 20 December, the USCG boarded a second ship, the Panama-flagged Centuries, carrying 1.8 million barrels of crude oil off the coast of Venezuela, [40] reported as "intercepted" by Reuters. [41] According to The Washington Post, neither the vessel nor its owner are sanctioned entities, and an unnamed source said the boarding was based on a history of the vessel transporting oil to China, and a "right to visit" law that "allows a warship to board and inspect a vessel it suspects is engaging in illicit activity". [40] Permission to board was obtained from Panama, [40] which later stated that the vessel had violated Panamanian maritime law by turning off its transponder while sailing with crude. [42] Centuries had a history of faking its location. [43] As of 22 December, it was not clear if the vessel would be released or when. [44]

Bella 1

As of 25 December 2025, [45] the USCG was pursuing a third vessel, Bella 1, which had previously transported Iranian oil, and was en route to load Venezuelan oil purchased by a company associated with the recently-sanctioned Panamanian, Pedro Carretero. [46] Bella 1 is owned by Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises, a Turkish company. [45] The New York Times reported that the US had a seizure warrant for Bella 1, which had a history of spoofing its location, was sailing without a valid flag, and did not submit to boarding. [46] Heading for Venezuela with no cargo, the crew of Bella 1 resisted boarding on 20 December and the vessel made a U-turn with the USCG in pursuit. [45] [47] The USCG requires a Maritime Special Response Team to intercept a hostile ship. [45] [47]

Effects

The interdictions have led to a sharp decline in crude exports, as fears of seizure have caused several tankers, some of which are sanctioned, to remain in Venezuelan waters. Several oil tankers en route to Venezuela also made U-turns or halted their navigation following the interdictions. [48] As of 24 December, only two oil tankers carrying PDVSA crude have attempted to enter international waters; one of these, Centuries, was also intercepted. More than 30 ships in Venezuela that are sanctioned by the United States could also be seized, according to Reuters. [49]

Only oil tankers linked to Chevron Corporation could freely travel through international waters with Venezuelan crude. [49] [a] Chevron spokesperson Bill Turenne reported that its operations in Venezuela continued without disruption. [15]

Analysis

The BBC characterized the seizure and additional sanctions as a "sharp escalation in the US pressure campaign against Maduro". [53] The Wall Street Journal described a "paralyzed tanker traffic" to Venezuelan ports—also documented by Reuters [39] —as "an existential crisis for a regime that runs on oil revenue" that "creates an escalating series of crises" that experts said could be destabilizing. [54]

China buys most of Venezuela's oil at discounted prices. [55] US actions could aggravate tensions between the US and China over control of the Panama Canal. [55]

Representatives of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) condemned the sanctions and quarantine, saying the US is "violating fundamental rules of international law". [4] [56] Other analysts say the US has never ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), but its novel actions in the Venezuela case will test established maritime practices and may encourage other countries to seize vessels in international waters. [57]

Reactions

United States

When Trump confirmed the seizure of Skipper, he stated that "we've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela—a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually" and that it was "seized for a very good reason". [6] When Trump was asked what the United States would do with Skipper, he responded "we keep it, I guess". [25] Trump administration officials like Kristi Noem and Karoline Leavitt connected the oil tanker's seizure to the administration's war on drugs in Latin America. [58]

Pete Hegseth, the United States Secretary of Defense, wrote that – as part of Operation Southern Spear – the US would "unflinchingly conduct maritime interdiction operations ... to dismantle illicit criminal networks. Violence, drugs, and chaos will not control the Western Hemisphere." [59]

From the Republican Party, Senator Roger Marshall told reporters that the United States "should be pushing back on Venezuela", adding that he was "concerned about the drug cartel that is running" Venezuela, referring to Cartel of the Suns. [7] Senator Rand Paul told NewsNation reporter Hannah Brandt that the seizure "sounds a lot like the beginning of a war". [7] Representative Rick Crawford told NewsNation's Elizabeth Vargas that the seizure was part of a "ongoing action" against Maduro's government, adding that it was "a pretty strong signal to Maduro". [60]

From the Democratic Party, Senator Chris Coons also told NewsNation that he was "gravely concerned that [Trump] is sleepwalking [the United States] into a war with Venezuela". [7] Senator Chris Van Hollen stated that seizure of Skipper demonstrated that the Trump administration wanted "regime change [in Venezuela]—by force". [61]

Venezuela

The Venezuelan government "strongly denounced and repudiated" what it considered to be "a shameless robbery and an act of international piracy"; [1] according to Reuters, "legal specialists said it did not fall under such a definition under international law". [39] Maduro's government stated that it would "defend its sovereignty, natural resources, and national dignity with absolute determination". [62] It accused Trinidad and Tobago of participating in the ship's seizure, without saying how they had participated, and canceled all natural gas agreements between the two countries. [63]

Following the announcement of the naval quarantine, Venezuela's National Assembly, controlled by Maduro's party, introduced and passed in two days a bill to criminalize the support, financing or participation in "acts of piracy, blockades or other international illegal acts"; the Associated Press stated that opposition leader María Corina Machado has supported the vessel seizures. [3]

Venezuelan navy vessels began to escort oil tankers carrying Venezuelan petroleum products, though have been limited to unsanctioned tankers [64] and have been contained to the country's territorial waters. [50]

Other

The government of Guyana stated that Skipper was falsely flying the flag of Guyana as it was not registered in the country. [65] Cuba's foreign ministry called the oil tanker's seizure an "act of piracy and maritime terrorism," aimed at obstructing Venezuela's right to free trade. [66]

China condemned the United States for seizing oil tankers in December 2025, stating the action was in violation of international law. In a subsequent diplomatic call between Beijing and Caracas, the two countries' top diplomats reaffirmed China's opposition to unilateralism and bullying. [67]

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, condemned the US seizure of the oil tanker as "an act of piracy" that he said had no legal basis under international law and that all countries should condemn. [68]

Russia's foreign ministry expressed support for Maduro's government and called the US action "lawlessness in the Caribbean Sea, where long-forgotten theft of other people's property, namely piracy, and banditry, are being revived". [69]

At a special meeting of the UN Security Council in December 2025, other countries supported concerns over maritime law and member sovereignty; Panama and Argentina were among the countries supporting the US. [3]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Chevron is licensed by the US Government to carry crude oil to US ports, exempt from sanctions, through its joint ventures with PDVSA. [50] [51] [52]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jacobs, Jennifer; LaPorta, James; Escobedo, Richard; Watson, Eleanor; Kurtz, Nick; Sganga, Nicole & Walsh, Joe (10 December 2025). "What We Know About The Skipper, the Oil Tanker Seized by the U.S. Near Venezuela". CBS News . Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  2. ↑ Levin, Sam (7 August 2025). "Trump Administration Doubles Reward for Arrest of Venezuela's President to $50M". The Guardian . Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Garcia Cano, Regina (23 December 2025). "Venezuela seeks to criminalize oil tanker seizures as Trump puts pressure on Maduro". Associated Press. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Holland, Steve (24 December 2025). "White House orders military to focus on 'quarantine' of Venezuela oil". Reuters. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  5. 1 2 Nichols, Michelle (23 December 2025). "US tells UN it will deprive Venezuela's Maduro, drug cartel of resources". Reuters. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 Phillips, Tom & Roth, Andrew (10 December 2025). "Venezuela Decries 'Act of Piracy' After US Forces Seize Oil Tanker Off Country's Coast". The Guardian . Rio de Janeiro and Washington, D.C. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Rego, Max (10 December 2025). "Lawmakers React to US Seizure of Venezuelan Oil Tanker". The Hill . Retrieved 10 December 2025.
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  9. ↑ Swanson, Ana; Elliott, Rebecca F. & Rappeport, Alan (24 March 2025). "Trump to Impose Tariffs Against Countries that Buy Venezuelan Oil". The New York Times . Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  10. ↑ Chávez, Steff; Stott, Michael & Daniels, Joe (28 August 2025). "US Naval Build-Up Near Venezuela Stokes Tensions in Latin America" . Financial Times . Washington, D.C., Rio de Janeiro, and Bogotá . Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  11. ↑ Forero, Juan; Vyas, Kejal; de Córdoba, José & Seligman, Lara (16 October 2025). "Venezuela Mobilizes Troops and Militias as U.S. Military Looms Offshore" . The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 10 December 2025.
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  14. ↑ Dixon, Gary (24 November 2025). "Sanctioned tanker reaches Venezuela after dodging US destroyer". TradeWinds . Retrieved 26 December 2025.
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  18. ↑ "Toyo". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  19. ↑ Saul, Jonathan; Parraga, Marianna; Somasekhar, Arathy (12 December 2025). "Supertanker Skipper seized by US near Venezuela is heading to Houston, sources say". Reuters. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  20. 1 2 Schmidt, Samantha; Viser, Matt; DeYoung, Karen; Kelly, Meg (11 December 2025). "U.S. seizes 'very large' oil tanker off Venezuelan coast, Trump says". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286.
  21. ↑ Cheetham, Joshua; Brown, Paul; Irvine-Brown, Richard; Murphy, Matt (11 December 2025). "From Iran to China to Venezuela - how seized tanker hid location". BBC News .
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  26. ↑ Ali, Idrees; Stewart, Phil; Holland, Steve; Parraga, Marianna (11 December 2025). "US seizes sanctioned oil tanker off coast of Venezuela, Trump says". Reuters.
  27. ↑ Kurmanaev, Anatoly; Nehamas, Nicholas; Fassihi, Farnaz (13 December 2025) [12 December 2025]. "Behind the Seized Venezuelan Tanker, Cuba's Secret Lifeline". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
  28. ↑ "U.S. Unseals Warrant for Tanker Seized by Coast Guard Off the Coast of Venezuela". 12 December 2025. Retrieved 21 December 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  29. ↑ Ward, Jasper (13 December 2025). "US seized tanker near Venezuela just as warrant was set to expire, court document shows". Reuters.
  30. ↑ "U.S. Unseals Warrant for Tanker Seized by Coast Guard Off the Coast of Venezuela" (Press release). U.S. Department of Justice. 12 December 2025. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  31. ↑ "U.S. sanctions 3 of Maduro's nephews, 6 oil tankers as Venezuela pressure campaign builds". CBS News. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  32. 1 2 Gonzalez, Camino (11 December 2025). "US slaps sanctions on Maduro's 'narco-nephews'". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  33. ↑ Psaledakis, Daphne; Parraga, Marianna; Gardner, Timothy (11 December 2025). "US issues fresh sanctions targeting Maduro's family, Venezuela-linked oil tankers". Reuters. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  34. ↑ "Treasury Targets Illegitimate Maduro Regime Insiders and Sanctions Evaders in Venezuela's Oil Sector" (Press release). U.S. Department of the Treasury. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
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  38. ↑ Faucon, Benoit; Paris, Costas; Holliday, Shelby (17 December 2025). "The $8 Billion Black Market for Venezuelan Oil Is Suddenly Closing Down". The Wall Street Journal. ProQuest   3283937237 . Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  39. 1 2 3 Saul, Jonathan; Parraga, Marianna; Spetalnick, Matt (11 December 2025). "Exclusive: US preparing to seize more tankers off Venezuela's coast after first ship taken, sources say". Reuters. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
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  56. ↑ "UN experts condemn United States blockade and aggression against Venezuela" (Press release). United Nations Office of the High Commissioner. 24 December 2025. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  57. ↑ Eavis, Peter (24 December 2025). "Trump's Seizures of Oil Tankers Challenge Maritime Rules and Customs". The New York Times. ProQuest   3286275695 . Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  58. ↑ Kinnard, Meg (11 December 2025). "Noem says seizure of oil tanker off Venezuelan coast linked to U.S. antidrug efforts". PBS News. Associated Press. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
  59. ↑ Swanson, Ian (20 December 2025). "Hegseth hails new seizure of Venezuelan oil tanker". The Hill. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
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  62. ↑ Roth, Andrew; Phillips, Tom (12 December 2025). "Trump expands Venezuela sanctions as Maduro decries new 'era of piracy'". The Guardian.
  63. ↑ Rogero, Tiago (15 December 2025). "Venezuela accuses Trinidad and Tobago of taking part in US seizure of oil tanker". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  64. ↑ Wong, Edward; Kurmanaev, Anatoly; Schmitt, Eric (17 December 2025). "Venezuelan Navy Escorts Vessels in Defiance of Trump's Blockade Threat". The New York Times. ProQuest   3283933474 . Retrieved 28 December 2025.
  65. ↑ King, Kemol & Parraga, Marianna (10 December 2025). Alexander, Iñigo (ed.). "Oil Tanker Seized by US Near Venezuela Was Falsely Flying Guyana Flag, Government Says". Reuters . Georgetown, Guyana. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  66. ↑ "Trump news at a glance: US seizure of Venezuela oil tanker an act of 'maritime terrorism', says Cuba". The Guardian. 14 December 2025. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
  67. ↑ McCarthy, Simone (24 December 2025). "Analysis: China has condemned Trump's Venezuela blockade. But it may also see some upsides to a new era of gunboat diplomacy". CNN. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  68. ↑ "Iran in contact with IAEA whenever necessary". www.oananews.org. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  69. ↑ "Russia compares US blockade of Venezuela to piracy". Reuters. 25 December 2025. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
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