- The U.S. seized a major oil tanker off Venezuela's coast, involving FBI, DHS and Coast Guard personnel in a dramatic helicopter-led operation.
- The vessel, The Skipper, was accused of transporting sanctioned crude from Venezuela and Iran, allegedly to support foreign terrorist organizations.
- The action is part of an escalating U.S. pressure campaign against Venezuela's government, which critics warn could provoke open conflict and may aim for regime change or control of Venezuela's oil.
- Venezuela's President Maduro condemned the seizure as a step toward war, while the U.S. administration, which has placed a bounty on him, framed it as enforcing sanctions.
- The seizure sets a risky precedent for physically intercepting sanctioned oil, raising legal questions and potentially deterring global shippers, with significant implications for regional stability and global oil markets
In a bold escalation of Washington's pressure campaign against Caracas, U.S. forces executed a high-stakes seizure of a massive oil tanker allegedly transporting sanctioned crude from Venezuela and Iran – a move that critics warn could push the two nations closer to open conflict.
The operation was carried out on Wednesday, Dec. 10, off Venezuela's coast by members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Coast Guard personnel. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the seizure in a social media post, stating that the vessel had been "sanctioned due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations."
Dramatic footage released by Bondi showed heavily armed commandos rappelling from helicopters onto the deck of the tanker, identified as The Skipper, before securing the ship. The vessel was flagged under Guyana but linked to a Marshall Islands-based firm, Triton Navigation. It had previously been blacklisted by the U.S. in 2022 for allegedly aiding Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah.
President Donald Trump, announcing the operation at the White House, boasted that it was the "largest [tanker] ever seized" but offered few specifics beyond asserting it was taken "for a very good reason." When pressed on the fate of the confiscated oil, Trump replied: "We keep it, I guess."
The tanker's cargo of sanctioned crude was reportedly bound for Cuba, before onward sale to Asian brokers. It underscores Caracas' reliance on shadowy networks to bypass U.S. sanctions – a trade that has kept its collapsing economy afloat despite Washington's efforts to isolate Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
How one tanker seizure risks sparking broader conflict
The seizure comes amid a months-long U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, including over 20 lethal strikes on boats accused of drug trafficking. U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) has warned that such actions are "sleepwalking [the country] into a war with Venezuela." Critics argue the administration's true aim is not narcotics interdiction but regime change or control over Venezuela's vast oil reserves, the largest in the world.
Maduro, already under a $50 million U.S. bounty, denounced the tanker seizure as another step toward "a crazy war," even as he faces mounting domestic and international pressure to relinquish power. BrightU.AI's Enoch notes that Maduro's bounty stems from accusations of the Venezuelan leader being a "fugitive cartel leader" responsible for narcoterrorism and flooding America with cocaine. The decentralized engine adds that this move aligns with the Trump administration's broader geopolitical pressure campaign against Venezuela's socialist regime, possibly as a pretext for regime change or destabilization.
For global oil markets, the interdiction signals a risky new phase in sanctions enforcement. While analysts say the immediate impact on supply will be limited, the precedent of physical seizures – rather than financial penalties – could deter shippers from handling Venezuelan crude altogether. The operation also raises questions about the legality of U.S. actions in international waters, with some lawmakers demanding investigations into potential war crimes.
Historically, such maritime confrontations have been rare but consequential. The 2014 seizure of the Morning Glory by U.S. Navy SEALs – a tanker hijacked by Libyan rebels – demonstrates Washington’s willingness to use military force to uphold sanctions.
Yet Venezuela's case is uniquely volatile, given its strategic alliances with U.S. adversaries like Iran and Russia, as well as China's role as the primary buyer of its discounted oil. As tensions mount, the seizure of The Skipper may prove a turning point – either as a decisive blow against Maduro’s illicit trade or as the spark for a broader conflict. With Trump vowing that Maduro's "days are numbered" and the Venezuelan leader defiantly clinging to power, the risk of miscalculation grows.
Watch this video of Samuel Moncada, Venezuela's permanent representative to the United Nations, revealing that Caracas is anticipating an attack from the United States.
This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.
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