Watch: Video shows US military seizing oil tanker off Venezuela coast
US forces have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said, marking a sharp escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro’s government.
“We have just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela – a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Releasing a video of the seizure, Attorney General Pam Bondi described the vessel as a “crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran”.
Caracas swiftly denounced the action, calling it an act of “international piracy”. Earlier, President Maduro declared that Venezuela would never become an “oil colony”.
The Trump administration accuses Venezuela of funneling narcotics into the US and has intensified its efforts to isolate President Maduro in recent months. Venezuela — home to some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves — has, in turn, accused Washington of seeking to steal its resources.
Brent crude prices inched higher as news of the seizure stoked short-term supply concerns. Analysts warn the move could threaten shippers and further disrupt Venezuela’s oil exports.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said the FBI, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the US Coast Guard coordinated the seizure.
“For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations,” Bondi wrote on X.
Footage shared by Bondi showed a military helicopter hovering over a large ship, and troops descending onto the deck using ropes. Uniformed men were seen moving about the ship with guns drawn.
A senior military official told the BBC’s US partner CBS that the helicopters used in the operation launched from the USS Gerald Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, which was sent to the Caribbean last month. The operation involved two helicopters, 10 Coast Guard members and 10 Marines, as well as special forces.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was aware of the operation, and the Trump administration was considering more actions like this, a source told CBS.
When asked what the US would do with the oil on the tanker, Trump said: “We keep it, I guess… I assume we’re going to keep the oil.”
Maritime risk company Vanguard Tech identified the vessel as the Skipper and said it believed the ship had been “spoofing” its position — broadcasting a false location — for a long time. The US Treasury sanctioned the Skipper in 2022 for alleged involvement in oil smuggling that generated revenue for Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, CBS reported.
BBC Verify located the tanker on MarineTraffic, which showed it was sailing under the flag of Guyana when its position was last updated two days ago. Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department later said the Skipper was “falsely flying the Guyana Flag as it is not registered in Guyana.”
Watch: Venezuela’s Maduro sings “Don’t worry, be happy” as he calls for peace with the US
The Venezuelan government issued a statement denouncing the seizure as a “grave international crime”. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello called the US “murderers, thieves, pirates”, likening US actions to high seas criminality and accusing the US of starting wars worldwide.
Speaking at a rally, Maduro addressed Americans opposed to war with Venezuela by singing along to the 1988 hit “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” urging peace and saying “Not war, be happy.”
It’s unclear if Maduro knew about the seizure before this rally.
In recent days, the US has ramped up its military presence in the Caribbean Sea. The build-up involves thousands of troops and the USS Gerald Ford positioned within striking distance of Venezuela, raising speculation about potential military action.
Since September, the US has conducted at least 22 strikes on boats in the region that the Trump administration says were smuggling drugs; at least 80 people have died in those attacks.
Ione Wells contributed to this report from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Watch: Trump says US has seized “large tanker” off Venezuela coast
