Breaking: US Seizes Another Oil Tanker Off Venezuela

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the United States has seized an oil tanker that recently departed from Venezuela.

This is the second time this month that the U.S. has seized a vessel carrying oil near the country's coast.

The move comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was ordering a "blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.

Venezuela has condemned the recent U.S. seizure, calling it "theft and piracy." Venezuela has previously accused the U.S. of attempting to steal its resources.

A statement from the Venezuelan government said, "These acts will not go unpunished," and added that it intends to file a complaint with the United Nations Security Council and "other multilateral agencies and governments around the world."

The operation was carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard, similar to an operation earlier this month. A special tactical team boarded the vessel, which was in international waters when it was seized.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, whose department oversees the Coast Guard, shared a video of the operation on X (formerly Twitter).

Read Also

Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Venezuelan Oil Tankers

Nielsen wrote, "In an operation early this morning, December 20, the U.S. Coast Guard, with support from the Department of Defense, seized an oil tanker that had last docked in Venezuela."

She posted a seven-minute video of the operation, showing U.S. helicopters landing on the deck of a ship with the name Centuries painted on its side.

Nielsen wrote, "The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco-terrorism in the region," and added: "We will find you, and we will stop you." 

It is not on the US Treasury's list of sanctioned vessels.

In recent weeks, the US has been increasing its military presence in the Caribbean Sea and has carried out deadly attacks on alleged Venezuelan drug-trafficking boats, killing around 100 people.

Software Services

Start your own gaming platform for just $3,000

The US has not publicly provided any evidence that these vessels were carrying drugs, and these attacks are facing increasing scrutiny from Congress. The US has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a terrorist organization called the Cartel de los Soles, which he denies.

The Trump administration accuses him and the group of "financing themselves through the theft" of oil, "drug trafficking, human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping."

After the seizure of the second vessel, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X that the US would "continue maritime interdiction operations without hesitation... to dismantle illicit criminal networks."

"Violence, drugs, and anarchy will not control the Western Hemisphere."

Venezuela – which has the world's largest proven oil reserves – relies heavily on revenue from its oil exports to finance its government spending.

Trump's "blockade" announcement came less than a week after the US seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, which was believed to be part of a "ghost fleet" and had allegedly used various strategies to conceal its activities.

The White House said the vessel in question, named the Skipper, was involved in "illicit oil shipping" and would be taken to a US port.

Thank you for reading this content.