US has seized oil tanker off coast of Venezuela, Donald Trump says
"We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually", the US president said.
Wednesday 10 December 2025 21:26, UK
The US has intercepted and seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, Donald Trump has said.
President Trump confirmed the operation at a meeting with business leaders at the White House on Wednesday.
"We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually," he said at the start of the meeting.
Without giving additional information on the operation, Mr Trump added that "other things are happening". Later, he said that the tanker was "seized for a very good reason".
It marks the latest escalation from the Trump administration, which has in recent months ramped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The US accuses Mr Maduro of presiding over a narcotrafficking operation in Venezuela, which he denies.
US interception of oil tanker raises more questions about international law
The seizing of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela is a significant escalation in US tactics.
By targeting an oil shipment, rather than a suspected drug boat, Washington has signalled its willingness to disrupt exports.
President Trump seems determined to shut down one of the last major sources of funding for Nicholas Maduro’s embattled government.
Nine months ago, Trump imposed a 25% tariff on all goods imported into the US from any country buying oil or gas from Venezuela.
This is even more aggressive and will be viewed in Caracas as a direct threat to the country’s economy and sovereignty.
The interception of the tanker raises more questions about international maritime law and the reach of US enforcement powers.
In the space of four months, the US has bombed 23 boats, killing 87 people, accusing the occupants of being "narco-terrorists".
It will also fuel speculation that airstrikes are imminent, President Trump having posted two weeks ago that he had closed the airspace.
On 2 September, the White House posted on X that it had conducted a strike against so-called "narcoterrorists" shipping fentanyl to the US, without providing direct evidence of the alleged crime.
Sky's Data & Forensics unit has verified that in the past four months since strikes began, 23 boats have been targeted in 22 strikes, killing 87 people.
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Officials also told the Reuters news agency that the operation was led by the US Coast Guard. They did not name the tanker, what flag the vessel sailed under, or exactly where the incident took place.
UK maritime risk management group Vanguard said that the tanker Skipper - which the US sanctioned for alleged involvement in Iranian oil trading under the name Adisa - was believed to have been seized.
At a rally before a ruling-party-organised demonstration in Caracas, Mr Maduro did not address the seizure, but told supporters that Venezuela is "prepared to break the teeth of the North American empire if necessary".
Flanked by senior officials, he said that only the ruling party can "guarantee peace, stability, and the harmonious development of Venezuela, South America and the Caribbean".
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The seizure comes after Mr Trump suggested that the US could strike Venezuela on land.
Speaking to Politico on Tuesday, he declined to comment on whether US troops would enter the country, but said that Mr Maduro's "days are numbered".
According to Bloomberg, the Maduro government describes US actions as a grab for Venezuela's oil reserves - among the biggest in the world.