US President Donald Trump has ordered the seizure of a supertanker carrying Venezuelan oil, marking the largest vessel captured under US sanctions. The tanker, known as the Skipper (previously sanctioned as Adisa), was seized by US forces off the coast of Venezuela and is now being held.
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that the U.S. Coast Guard, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations executed an arrest warrant for the vessel, which had been used to transport oil from Venezuela and Iran in violation of sanctions.
Trump described the ship as “very large” and “in fact, the largest ever captured,” but provided no further details on its route or cargo. He indicated that the United States would retain the oil.
Analysis of satellite imagery reveals the tanker attempted to conceal its location by broadcasting falsified data. While its transponder showed it was anchored near Guyana and Suriname in the Atlantic Ocean, evidence indicates it operated near Venezuela from late October through at least December 4. A satellite image taken on November 18 confirmed the vessel docked at Venezuela’s Jose Oil Terminal, contradicting its reported location. The ship, low in the water due to a heavy cargo of approximately 1.8 million barrels of oil, has a history of transporting sanctioned oil from Iran and Venezuela over the past two years.
The seizure represents the first time US authorities have seized Venezuelan oil cargo since 2019 sanctions were imposed, and the first action by the Trump administration against a vessel linked to Venezuela following his regional military buildup. Venezuelan officials condemned the move as “blatant theft” and “an act of international piracy,” while President Nicolas Maduro urged citizens to “behave like warriors” and be ready to “break the teeth of the North American empire if necessary.”
Juan Gonzalez, former chief adviser to President Joe Biden on Latin America, stated that deploying US naval forces off Venezuela’s coast and implementing an oil blockade could paralyze the nation’s economy, potentially forcing Maduro from office. Trump has also escalated threats against Colombia, telling reporters that the country’s president, Gustavo Petro, is “next” in the White House’s regional campaign against drug trafficking.
