On December 10, President Trump announced that the US Coast Guard had seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. This news has sparked market attention, as data from TankerTrackers.com shows that as of that day, there were over 80 oil tankers loaded with or waiting to be loaded with oil in Venezuelan waters and nearby, with more than 30 of them already sanctioned by the US.
According to analysis by Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a global “shadow fleet” of 1,423 oil tankers exists, with 921 of them being subject to sanctions by the US, UK, or EU. These tankers are typically older in age, have opaque ownership, and in order to circumvent Western financial and insurance sanctions, they often do not opt for top-tier international insurance, choosing lower-grade insurance or none at all, making it difficult to hold them accountable in case of oil spills or accidents.
These vessels primarily transport sanctioned oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, with their destinations mostly being in Asia. Many of these tankers have sailed multiple times, first carrying crude oil from Iran or Venezuela, and then transferring Russian goods.
In a media interview at the White House, Trump stated, “We have just seized a tanker off the coast of Venezuela – a very big tanker, in fact, the largest one seized so far. Other actions are also underway.”
When asked about the disposition of this batch of oil, Trump replied, “We will keep the oil, … I think we will keep this oil.”
US Attorney General Pamela Bondi posted a video of the seized tanker on X, indicating that the vessel was transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. The vessel had been included on the sanctions list of the US for its involvement in an illegal oil transportation network supporting foreign terrorist organizations over the years.
The video shows US military helicopters taking off from the aircraft carrier “Ford” and hovering over the tanker, with soldiers descending onto the deck using ropes, fully armed and prepared. The seizure operation involved two helicopters, 10 Coast Guard members, 10 Navy Marines, and special forces.
According to tracking data from Vanguard Tech, the seized tanker is named “Skipper,” and it has been suspected of falsifying its location for a long time, broadcasting false sailing tracks.
In 2022, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on “Skipper” for its alleged involvement in oil smuggling, generating income for Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force (IRGC-QF).
Based on tracking data from MarineTraffic, the “Skipper” was last seen flying the flag of Guyana when its position was updated. However, a statement from the Guyana Maritime Administration indicated that the vessel was not registered locally and was using a false flag.
According to satellite data analyzed by TankerTrackers.com and internal data from Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA, the “Skipper” loaded approximately 1.8 million barrels of Merey heavy crude oil at the Jose main oil port in Venezuela from December 4th to 5th before leaving the port. Prior to being seized, the tanker had transferred around 200,000 barrels of crude oil near Curacao to the Panama-registered “Neptune 6,” which then set sail for Cuba.
This marks the first seizure of a Venezuelan tanker by the US since sanctions were imposed on Venezuela in 2019, signaling a further escalation of pressure on Maduro by Washington.
Trump has mentioned the possibility of taking military action against Venezuela several times. Since September, the US military has attacked drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean at least 22 times, resulting in the deaths of at least 80 individuals.
(This article references reports from Reuters and the BBC)