U.S. Intensifies Pressure on Venezuela with Oil Tanker Seizures
The United States has stepped up its efforts to curb Venezuela’s oil trade, with U.S. forces intercepting an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast for the second time in less than two weeks. This move aligns with President Donald Trump’s intensified stance against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
In a pre-dawn operation, U.S. forces stopped an oil tanker following President Trump’s recent declaration of a blockade on sanctioned oil tankers moving in and out of Venezuela. This action follows the earlier seizure of another tanker on December 10.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the operation, revealing that the U.S. Coast Guard, with Defense Department support, halted the tanker previously docked in Venezuela. Noem shared an unclassified video on social media showing a U.S. helicopter landing personnel on the vessel named Centuries.
MarineTraffic data showed the Centuries, a crude oil tanker flying under Panama’s flag, was recently near the Venezuelan coast. Its sanction status remains unclear. Noem stated on X, “The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region. We will find you, and we will stop you.”
The operation was described as a “consented boarding,” where the tanker voluntarily allowed U.S. forces to board, according to an anonymous U.S. official. However, the justification for the Centuries’ seizure is less transparent compared to the earlier case involving the Skipper, a shadow fleet tanker without a national flag.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly labeled the Centuries as a “falsely flagged vessel” in the Venezuelan shadow fleet, allegedly transporting sanctioned oil. In contrast, Dr. Salvatore Mercogliano, a maritime historian, indicated that the Centuries appeared legally registered, though likely carrying sanctioned oil.
Mercogliano remarked, “This one is meant to scare other tankers away,” despite the legal operation of the Centuries. Venezuela’s government condemned the U.S. action as “criminal,” pledging to pursue legal actions through the United Nations Security Council.
Following the Skipper’s interception, President Trump vowed to impose a blockade on Venezuela, escalating rhetoric against Maduro and demanding the return of assets seized from U.S. oil companies. Trump highlighted lost U.S. investments in Venezuela as motives for the blockade, alongside accusations of drug trafficking.
U.S. oil firms once dominated Venezuela’s petroleum sector until nationalization efforts in the 1970s and 21st century. In 2014, an international panel ordered Venezuela to pay $1.6 billion to ExxonMobil for insufficient compensation offered during nationalization.
Beyond tankers, Trump has commanded the Defense Department to target vessels allegedly smuggling drugs into the U.S., resulting in 28 known strikes since September, killing 104 people. These efforts have sparked debates over their legitimacy and potential extrajudicial nature.
Maduro argues that the real aim of U.S. military operations is to oust him from power. Trump’s administration, however, maintains these actions are vital in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, in an interview with Vanity Fair, stated that Trump “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle.”
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
