Kayla Epstein
President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces have captured an oil tanker near the shores of Venezuela, representing a significant intensification of Washington’s campaign against Nicolás Maduro’s administration.
“We have just taken custody of a tanker off the coast of Venezuela – a significant tanker, indeed the largest ever taken,” Trump stated to the press at the White House.
Providing a clip of the capture, Attorney General Pam Bondi labelled the ship a “crude oil tanker utilized for transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran”.
Caracas promptly condemned the incident, terming it an instance of “international piracy”. Earlier, President Maduro had proclaimed that Venezuela would never turn into an “oil colony”.
The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of trafficking drugs into the U.S. and has ramped up efforts to isolate President Maduro in recent months.
Venezuela, which possesses some of the largest confirmed oil reserves globally, has accused Washington of attempting to misappropriate its resources.
On Wednesday, Brent crude prices rose slightly as the news of the seizure heightened short-term supply fears. Experts caution that this action could jeopardize shipping operations and further disrupt Venezuela’s oil exports.
Pam Bondi, the U.S. Attorney General who oversees the Department of Justice, disclosed that the FBI, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Coast Guard worked together on the seizure.
“This oil tanker has been under U.S. sanctions for several years due to its participation in an illicit oil transport network connected to foreign terrorist groups,” the country’s leading prosecutor stated on X.
Video released by Bondi depicted a military helicopter hovering above a large ship, with soldiers rappelling onto the deck. The footage showed armed personnel moving around the ship.
A high-ranking military officer told CBS, the BBC’s U.S. partner, that the helicopters involved in the operation took off from the USS Gerald Ford, the largest aircraft carrier globally, which had been dispatched to the Caribbean last month.
The operation included two helicopters, ten Coast Guard agents, ten Marines, and special forces.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was informed about the operation, and the Trump administration was contemplating further similar actions, according to a source speaking to CBS.
When questioned by the press on what the U.S. intended to do with the oil from the tanker, Trump responded: “We take it, I suppose… I imagine we will retain the oil.”
Vanguard Tech, a maritime risk company, identified the vessel as the Skipper and mentioned that it had been “spoofing” its location—broadcasting a false position—over an extended period.
According to CBS, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned the Skipper in 2022 for its alleged involvement in oil smuggling that funded Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.
BBC Verify found that this tanker was on MarineTraffic, which displayed that it was sailing under the flag of Guyana when its position was last updated two days ago. However, a statement from Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department on Wednesday evening indicated that the Skipper was “falsely representing itself as flying the Guyana Flag as it is not registered in Guyana.”
The Venezuelan government released a statement denouncing the seizure as a “serious international offense”.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello labeled the U.S. “murderers, thieves, pirates”.
He alluded to the Pirates of the Caribbean, asserting that although the film’s main character, Jack Sparrow, was seen as a “hero”, he regarded “these individuals as high seas criminals, pirates”.
Cabello said this behavior exemplified how the U.S. “initiated conflicts worldwide”.
During a rally earlier on Wednesday, Maduro conveyed a message to Americans against war with Venezuela, which was expressed through a popular song from 1988.
“To American citizens opposed to warfare, I reply with a very well-known song: Don’t worry, be happy,” Maduro articulated in Spanish before singing along to the lyrics.
“No war, be happy. Not, not a war of insanity, not, be happy.”
It remains uncertain if Maduro was aware of the tanker seizure prior to this rally.
In recent days, the U.S. has increased its military presence in the Caribbean Sea, which lies to the north of Venezuela.
This military build-up includes thousands of troops and the USS Gerald Ford being positioned within reach of Venezuela, BBC Verify indicated.
Such movements have led to speculation regarding the likelihood of military engagement.
Since September, the U.S. has conducted no less than 22 strikes against vessels in the area that the Trump administration claims are involved in drug smuggling, resulting in the deaths of at least 80 individuals in these operations.
Ione Wells contributed to this report from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
