US forces have seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast, President Donald Trump announced, in what amounts to a significant escalation in Washington’s campaign to pressure the government of Nicolás Maduro.
“We have just taken control of a tanker near Venezuela — a very large vessel, in fact the biggest one ever seized,” Trump told reporters at the White House. Soon after his remarks, Attorney General Pam Bondi released video footage of the operation, calling the vessel a “crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.”
Venezuela quickly condemned the seizure, denouncing it as an act of “international piracy.” Earlier in the day, President Maduro vowed that Venezuela would never be turned into an “oil colony,” as the Trump administration continues to accuse the country of funnelling narcotics into the US and has intensified efforts to isolate Maduro politically and economically.
Venezuela—holder of some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves—says Washington’s actions are part of a broader attempt to seize its resources. Following news of the seizure, Brent crude prices edged higher on Wednesday amid short-term concerns about supply disruptions. Analysts warn that the operation could deter shipping companies and further complicate Venezuela’s already-dwindling oil exports.
According to Bondi, who leads the US Department of Justice, multiple agencies—including the FBI, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the US Coast Guard—collaborated on the mission. “For years this tanker has been sanctioned by the United States for its participation in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations,” she wrote on X.
The released footage showed a military helicopter hovering over the massive ship and armed personnel descending via ropes onto the deck. The video also captured uniformed troops moving across the vessel with weapons drawn.
A senior military official told CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that the helicopters used in the raid departed from the USS Gerald Ford—the world’s largest aircraft carrier—which was deployed to the Caribbean last month. The operation involved two helicopters, 10 Coast Guard personnel, 10 Marines, and special forces units. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was informed of the mission, and a source told CBS that the Trump administration was considering additional operations of a similar nature.
Asked what would happen to the tanker’s crude oil, Trump responded: “We keep it, I guess… I assume we’re going to keep the oil.”
Maritime risk firm Vanguard Tech identified the ship as the Skipper, stating that it had likely been “spoofing” its position—broadcasting false location data—for an extended period. CBS reported that the US Treasury Department sanctioned the Skipper in 2022 due to its alleged involvement in oil smuggling operations generating revenue for Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.
BBC Verify located the Skipper on MarineTraffic, which showed the vessel sailing under Guyana’s flag when its position was last updated two days earlier. However, Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department later clarified that the Skipper was “falsely flying the Guyana flag as it is not registered in Guyana.”
Port records show the ship visited Iran, Iraq, and the UAE between 30 June and 9 July this year. Its last known stop was Soroosh port in Iran on 9 July, according to MarineTraffic data reviewed by BBC Verify. The vessel may have visited additional ports since then, although such movements may not appear due to alleged position spoofing.
MarineTraffic lists the beneficial owner and operator as Nigeria-based Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd, with the registered owner listed as Marshall Islands–based Triton Navigation Corp.
The Venezuelan government issued a statement condemning the seizure as a “grave international crime.” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello accused the US of acting like “murderers, thieves, pirates.” He referenced the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise but said that unlike its heroic lead character Jack Sparrow, he viewed US forces as “high seas criminals, buccaneers.” He added that this was how the United States had “started wars all over the world.”
Speaking at a rally earlier on Wednesday, Maduro delivered a message to Americans opposed to a conflict with Venezuela—using the iconic 1988 song Don’t Worry, Be Happy. “To American citizens who are against the war, I answer with a very famous song: Don’t worry, be happy,” he said in Spanish before singing: “Not war, be happy. Not crazy war, be happy.” It was unclear whether Maduro knew of the tanker seizure before the rally.
In recent days, the US has significantly increased its military presence in the Caribbean Sea, which borders Venezuela to the north. The buildup includes thousands of American troops and the USS Gerald Ford being positioned within striking range of Venezuela, BBC Verify reported. The move has fueled speculation about the possibility of further military action.
Since September, the US has launched at least 22 strikes on boats in the region that the Trump administration says were involved in drug smuggling. At least 80 people have been killed in these operations.
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