FBI Seizes Sanctioned Oil Tanker off the Coast of Venezuela

The United States has seized a sanctioned crude oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in a multi-agency operation that Washington says disrupted an illicit network moving Venezuelan and Iranian oil to support foreign terrorist organizations.

FBI Director Kash Patel said agents executed a seizure warrant for the vessel and described its role in “an illicit shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.” He added, “This administration’s efforts to crush FTO’s and cut off their resources will continue day and night.”

President Donald Trump publicly confirmed the action. “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually,” he said, adding when asked about the oil: “We keep it, I guess.”

Venezuela condemned the operation as “blatant theft” and “an act of international piracy,” saying it would take the case to international bodies. Iran’s embassy in Caracas called the seizure a “grave violation of international laws and norms.”

According to Reuters, Maritime firm Vanguard identified the vessel as the VLCC Skipper, previously named Adisa, sanctioned for Iranian oil trading. Satellite data from TankerTrackers.com indicated the Skipper departed Venezuela’s Jose terminal between December 4 and 5 with 1.8 million barrels of Merey crude. Before the seizure, about 200,000 barrels were transferred near Curacao to the Panama-flagged Neptune 6 headed for Cuba.

Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA data showed the Skipper moved Venezuelan crude to Asia in 2021–2022. Guyana said the tanker was falsely flying its flag.

A video posted by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi showed helicopters approaching the vessel and armed personnel rappelling onto the deck. The FBI, Homeland Security, the U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. military units carried out the warrant.

Oil markets reacted immediately. Brent settled at $62.21 per barrel and WTI at $58.46, both up 0.4%.

The move marks Washington’s first known tanker seizure tied to Venezuela since sanctions began in 2019, adding pressure on President Nicolas Maduro, who accuses the U.S. of seeking regime change and control of the country’s oil reserves. Venezuela exported more than 900,000 bpd last month — its third-highest monthly average this year — despite steep discounts to China and competition with Russian and Iranian crude.

Since September, the Trump administration has carried out more than 20 strikes against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, killing more than 80 people and prompting legal scrutiny.