US President plans to intercept even more Venezuelan ships - Reuters

This marks the first case of a Venezuelan tanker or oil cargo being seized since Washington imposed sanctions on the country in 2019. The operation comes amid a large-scale US military deployment in the southern Caribbean and increased pressure by the Donald Trump administration on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

US is compiling a list of targets for potential seizures

According to sources, US authorities are preparing for new interventions against ships carrying Venezuelan oil, which may have been involved in trading raw materials with other countries under US sanctions, including Iran.

In Venezuela, the seizure was called theft, while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the US will not allow sanctioned vessels to transport smuggled oil that finances illegitimate regimes and drug trafficking.

According to sources, the US has already compiled a list of sanctioned tankers that could become the next targets. The operations were prepared by the US Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, with the work taking several months.

Key source of Maduro’s revenue under threat

Any reduction in Venezuelan oil exports, which provide the government with its main revenue, will increase financial pressure on the Maduro regime. Recently, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on six supertankers that had recently loaded oil in Venezuela, as well as on four Venezuelan citizens, including relatives of First Lady Cilia Flores.

The seizure of the tanker Skipper has already caused the cancellation of three shipments totaling nearly 6 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey crude, which were destined for Asia. The vessels are currently on standby near the country’s coast.

US intensifies monitoring of vessels in the region

US forces are tracking tankers in the open sea and at Venezuelan ports, waiting for them to enter international waters. Military surveillance in the region, including near the waters of Venezuela and neighboring Guyana, was increased ahead of the Skipper seizure.

Washington plans to bring the seized vessel to a US port to confiscate the cargo as part of legal procedures. Further seizures will depend on the readiness of ports to accept shadow fleet vessels, which are often old, opaque in ownership, and lack proper insurance.

Separately, another tanker, Seahorse, sanctioned by the UK and the EU for connections to Russian oil trading, was briefly stopped in November by a US warship before entering Venezuelan waters.

Despite Caracas’ claims of piracy, maritime law experts emphasize that, legally, such actions do not qualify as piracy, as they are sanctioned by the state.

On December 10, US military forces intercepted and took control of an oil tanker under sanctions near the coast of Venezuela.

The seizure of the tanker could seriously complicate Venezuelan oil exports, as other carriers may avoid loading its cargo due to the risk of sanctions.

Most Venezuelan oil is exported to China, usually through intermediaries and at significant discounts due to the risks associated with US restrictions.