The United States is said to be preparing to seize additional oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela in what officials described to CNBC as an expanding effort to disrupt the country’s sanctions-evading crude trade. Several U.S. officials likewise confirmed to Reuters in broad terms that the administration is “moving toward more assertive maritime interdictions.”
U.S. officials told CNBC the government has already identified multiple vessels that could face interdiction following this week’s helicopter boarding and seizure of the tanker Skipper in international waters, a development also noted by the Associated Press, which cited defense officials saying the raid was coordinated after “weeks of joint intelligence review.”
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the planning is sensitive and the operations have not been publicly detailed, according to CNBC’s reporting, a detail echoed by Reuters, which said officials were “not authorized to speak publicly given ongoing operational planning.”
Those officials said the initiative reflects a shift toward more direct maritime enforcement aimed at tightening pressure on Venezuela’s oil sector, a shift the Washington Post described as part of a “widening sanctions-enforcement campaign” targeting illicit crude flows.
The Skipper operation was carried out by U.S. Coast Guard and Navy personnel, according to CNBC, after intelligence indicated the ship had transported sanctioned Venezuelan and Iranian crude. The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. surveillance assets had tracked the vessel for several weeks after it conducted ship-to-ship transfers associated with Iran-Venezuela oil exchanges.
President Donald Trump confirmed the seizure to reporters at the White House and said the tanker had been “illegally moving oil tied to sanctioned networks.” Trump said U.S. forces completed the mission “perfectly” and emphasized that the ship had drawn long-running scrutiny due to suspected sanction violations.
Federal agencies view the Skipper case as a template for additional maritime actions that could include intercepting tankers before they reach offshore buyers, CNBC reported. Reuters similarly reported that additional interdictions are being reviewed “on a rolling basis” by national security officials.
The Justice Department and Homeland Security investigators are reviewing ownership records, cargo histories, and navigation behavior to determine which tankers could be seized under sanctions authorities, CNBC reported. The Financial Times reported separately that U.S. investigators have been scrutinizing shell companies linked to a cluster of tankers operating in the Caribbean and eastern Atlantic.
U.S. officials believe Venezuela has expanded use of a “shadow fleet” of tankers operating under opaque registries and shell firms to circumvent sanctions. Officials told CNBC several of those vessels are now under active monitoring as they prepare for new loading cycles, a point also cited by AP, which said dozens of tankers connected to Venezuela and Iran now routinely disable transponders to avoid tracking.
The ramp-up in tanker scrutiny coincides with a broader U.S. escalation of military and law-enforcement activity across the Caribbean basin, which administration officials have described as a necessary step to counter trafficking networks that move narcotics into the United States. White House and Pentagon officials have said that expanded patrols and surveillance flights around Venezuela and nearby waters are intended to disrupt drug routes they argue fuel crime in American communities.
Critics insist the combination of naval deployments and oil-tanker seizures carries clear overtones of U.S. imperialism and resembles past efforts to engineer political outcomes in Caracas. These critics say the buildup risks being interpreted as a regime-change strategy cloaked in anti-drug enforcement language.
Venezuela blasted the U.S. seizure of the Skipper, with government officials calling the operation “piracy” and accusing Washington of violating international maritime norms, according to statements reported by multiple outlets. The Maduro government said the tanker had departed Venezuelan waters legally and said the United States was attempting to suffocate an economy overwhelmingly dependent on crude exports.
Venezuelan officials also argue that the seizure shows Washington escalating toward open aggression after years of sanctions pressure.
When asked by reporters what would happen to the crude aboard the Skipper, Trump said, “We’ll keep it, I guess,” a remark that underscored U.S. willingness to confiscate cargo linked to sanctioned shipments.
Outlets say the Skipper’s captain, an Iranian national, was taken into U.S. custody and is expected to face charges tied to sanctions violations.
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