Sanctioned Venezuela tanker seized by US forces
US armed forces have seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in an operation that highlights the rising tensions between Washington and Caracas.
According to US officials and reports by Reuters and CBS News, the vessel, identified as the 20-year-old tanker Skipper, was intercepted on Wednesday (10 December 2025) morning. President Donald Trump described the ship as the “largest one ever seized”. When asked about the fate of the oil aboard the ship, Trump replied with “We keep it, I guess.”
The operation involved two helicopters, special operations forces, 10 members of the US Coast Guard, and 10 US Marines deployed from the USS Gerald R. Ford.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi shared video footage on X showing forces boarding the tanker. Bondi stated the ship had been used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran and had been under US sanctions for involvement in an ‘illicit oil shipping network’ supporting foreign terrorist organisations.
The Skipper was previously sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in 2022 for its alleged role in an oil smuggling network linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The Venezuelan government has strongly condemned the seizure, labelling it a ‘blatant theft’ and ‘an act of piracy’.
More than 30 US-sanctioned oil vessels operating in connection with Venezuela could face similar scrutiny, according to an industry source cited by Reuters.
