The United States has seized an oil tanker, Skipper, off the coast of Venezuela, alleging crude oil theft, piracy, and other transnational crimes.
The vessel, operated by Nigeria-based Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd and registered to Marshall Islands-based Triton Navigation Corp, was described by US President Donald Trump as “the largest ever seized”.
A video released by Homeland Security showed armed personnel rappelling from a helicopter onto the ship.
US Attorney-General Pam Bondi stated that the tanker had been under US sanctions for multiple years for allegedly operating within an illicit oil network financing foreign terrorist groups.
The seizure marks a new flashpoint in the long-running rift between Washington and Caracas, fueled by ideological differences, oil politics, and mutual accusations of interference. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Moros condemned the operation as “international piracy”, insisting Venezuela would never become an “oil colony”.
