Third Tanker Pursuit Marks Escalation of Venezuela Blockade
On Monday, December 22, 2025, as part of President Donald Trump's intensification of its targeting of vessels tied to Venezuelan oil exports, the US Coast Guard chased a third sanctioned oil tanker through the Caribbean Sea. An official familiar with this pursuit confirmed it involved a sanctioned dark fleet vessel operating as part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion network while flying under a false flag and operating with an active seizure order from a judge.
Market observers believe the third vessel is part of a shadow fleet and has previously transported sanctioned oil, representing an escalated response beyond initial blockade announcements suggesting unsanctioned or empty vessels would remain operating in the region.
Second Tanker Seizure: Centuries Vessel
On December 21, 2025, US forces conducted a predawn operation and successfully captured a Panama-flagged vessel called Centuries as part of their Venezuelan shadow fleet operation, accused of transporting stolen oil. This marked their second tanker seizure within less than two weeks.
First Seizure: Skipper Tanker
On December 10th 2025, with assistance from the Navy, the Coast Guard successfully apprehended a sanctioned tanker known as Skipper as part of its shadow fleet of tankers that operate illegally to transport sanctioned cargo around international waters. At that point in time, she wasn't flying any flag when caught by Coast Guard agents.
Enforcement actions taken by the Trump administration demonstrate their hardline stance against Venezuelan oil sanctions evasion. Venezuela relies on crude oil sales through shadow fleet purchases from Chinese entities as an essential source of foreign currency, making any blockade economically significant for their nation.