The United States is gearing up to intercept additional vessels carrying Venezuelan oil following the recent seizure of a tanker, as part of its escalating pressure campaign on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as per six sources familiar with the situation. This seizure marked the first time an oil cargo or tanker from Venezuela has been intercepted since the country came under U.S. sanctions in 2019. The move coincides with a significant military buildup in the southern Caribbean and President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to remove Maduro from power.
The latest U.S. action has raised concerns among shipowners, operators, and maritime agencies involved in transporting Venezuelan crude, prompting many to reconsider planned voyages from Venezuelan waters. The sources anticipate further direct interventions by the U.S. in the coming weeks, targeting vessels carrying Venezuelan oil that may have also transported oil from other nations under U.S. sanctions, such as Iran.
Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA, did not respond to requests for comments on the matter. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s government denounced the U.S. seizure as an act of “theft.”
While White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt declined to comment on potential future actions, she affirmed that the U.S. would continue enforcing the president’s sanctions policies. Leavitt emphasized the U.S.’s commitment to preventing sanctioned vessels from transporting black-market oil that could fund narcoterrorism activities of rogue regimes globally.
According to insider sources, the U.S. has identified several additional sanctioned tankers as potential targets for seizure. The Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security had reportedly been planning these seizures for months.
A disruption or cessation of Venezuelan oil exports, which constitute a primary revenue source for the Venezuelan government, would exert financial pressure on the Maduro administration. The U.S. Treasury recently imposed sanctions on six supertankers and four Venezuelan individuals, including relatives of First Lady Cilia Flores, based on information from PDVSA’s internal documents and ship monitoring data.
The U.S.’s latest strategy focuses on monitoring the shadow fleet of tankers that transport sanctioned oil to China, a major buyer of Venezuelan and Iranian crude. The seizure of the Skipper tanker, which led to the temporary suspension of three loaded shipments bound for Asia, underscores the impact of U.S. actions on the oil trade.
U.S. forces are actively monitoring tankers at sea and in Venezuelan ports, waiting for vessels to enter international waters before taking action. The seized vessel is expected to sail to a U.S. port for the government to legally confiscate its oil cargo.
Further seizures are anticipated as part of efforts to tighten financial pressure on President Maduro. The Venezuelan leader has accused the U.S. of orchestrating a military buildup to seize control of the country’s oil resources.
The U.S. government aims to handle seized vessels in ports, but the process’s timing depends on logistical arrangements for unloading oil cargoes. Many of the shadow fleet vessels lack transparency in ownership, are not well-insured, and face challenges finding ports willing to receive them.
While the Venezuelan government condemned the U.S. seizure as an act of piracy, legal experts suggest it does not meet the criteria for piracy under international law. The capture, endorsed by the U.S., is viewed as a lawful act rather than piracy, according to piracy law specialists.