First Seizure Since Trump's Blockade Declaration
Tanker Carrying 1.8 Million Barrels of Heavy Crude to China Intercepted
On December 20 (local time), the U.S. military seized another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Analysts suggest that the Donald Trump administration is further intensifying its pressure on the Nicol?s Maduro regime in Venezuela.
Kristi Noem, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, announced on her X (formerly Twitter) account that "early this morning before dawn, the U.S. Coast Guard, with support from the Department of Defense, seized the last oil tanker anchored in Venezuela." Secretary Noem added, "The United States will continue to track the illegal movement of sanctioned oil that funds narco-terrorism in this region. We will find you and stop you."
Anna Kelly, Deputy White House Press Secretary, also confirmed the seizure on X, stating, "The vessel was part of Venezuela's shadow fleet, using a false flag to smuggle stolen oil and finance the narco-terrorist Maduro regime."
Major international media outlets, including The New York Times, reported, citing sources, that the operation took place in international waters near Venezuela and was led by the U.S. Coast Guard, with participation from multiple federal agencies, including the Navy.
This is an additional tanker seizure just ten days after the U.S. military captured 'The Skipper,' a sanctioned oil tanker, on December 10. It is also the first such action since President Trump, on December 16, designated the Maduro regime as a "Foreign Terrorist Organization" (FTO) and announced a complete blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.
The New York Times reported that the vessel in question is the Panama-flagged 'Centuries,' which is not included on the publicly managed list of sanctioned oil tankers by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. As part of the shadow fleet, Centuries was transporting 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude to China under the alias 'Cragg.' It reportedly left Venezuelan waters on December 17 under brief escort by the Venezuelan Navy.
Sources in the Venezuelan oil industry believe the cargo of the vessel is owned by a China-based oil trading company with a history of transporting Venezuelan crude. China is the largest buyer of Venezuelan oil. Jeremy Paner, a former investigator for the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), said, "The United States seizing a vessel that is not under sanctions shows that President Trump is ramping up pressure on Venezuela." He added, "This also contradicts President Trump's statement that the blockade would only be enforced against sanctioned oil tankers."
The Venezuelan government condemned the action as "a serious act of international piracy."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
