896
Views

U.S. Seizes Tanker off Venezuela

USCG personnel fast-rope onto the deck of the Skipper (U.S. Department of Justice)
USCG personnel fast-rope onto the deck of the Skipper (U.S. Department of Justice)

Published Dec 10, 2025 4:14 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

[Breaking] On Wednesday, U.S. forces seized a tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump told reporters. Three U.S. officials have confirmed the development to Reuters. 

"We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela — a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually," Trump said at a press conference. "And other things are happening."

According to Windward CEO Ami Daniel, the U.S. Navy "stopped and seized" a sanctioned oil tanker in international waters off the coast of Venezuela overnight on December 9-10. A U.S. official told ABC News that the U.S. Coast Guard - not the Navy - was responsible for the interdiction. 

In a statement late Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the tanker in question was subject to a seizure warrant for its involvement in trading Venezuelan and Iranian oil. She released a video of the operation, which shows U.S. personnel fast-roping onto the deck of the tanker and ascending the deckhouse ladderways to seize the wheelhouse. The video appears to show the vessel in laden condition, indicating a valuable oil cargo aboard. 

The name of the tanker was not disclosed; AIS data shows that there are multiple potential candidates with "shadow fleet" characteristics in the area - several of them stateless and under U.S. sanctions.

Maritime security consultancy Vanguard Tech has identified the vessel involved as the Skipper (IMO 9304667), and shipbroking sources have confirmed its identity to the Wall Street Journal. The ship has been off AIS for three days, based on data provided by Pole Star Global - as is common for ships in the shadow-fleet trade when near loading ports. 

Skipper (ex name Adisa) is a stateless tanker falsely flagged in Guyana, and is under U.S. sanctions for trade with Iran, according to public records. At 310,000 dwt, it is at the top end of the VLCC size category, the largest class of tanker still actively trading in large numbers. 

The seizure follows an extensive buildup of U.S. forces in the Caribbean, including the arrival of a carrier strike group and an amphibious ready group. In addition, the administration has attacked suspected drug boats coming out of Venezuela and has threatened ground action against Venezuelan forces, including possible CIA covert operations. 

This is a developing story and will be updated.