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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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Venezuela has accused the U.S. of a "blatant act of piracy" after the U.S. Coast Guard seized a second oil tanker off the coast of the South American country this month.
Why It Matters
The President Donald Trump administration has for months increased its pressure on Venezuela's government and its authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro. Washington has branded Maduro a "narco terrorist," claiming he heads up illegal trafficking networks and offered $50 million for information leading to his arrest.
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A U.S. strike campaign in the southern Caribbean and eastern Pacific has killed close to 100 people in alleged drug trafficking vessels, according to the administration's numbers, while the huge military buildup near Venezuela has loomed over Caracas.
Trump on Tuesday said he would institute a "total and complete blockade of sanctioned oil tankers" going in or out of Venezuela, and said the country was "surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America." Caracas has consistently said the U.S. pressure on the country is related to the nation's vast proven oil reserves.
The U.S. shadow over Venezuela has long been seen as a way to force regime change in the country, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Friday the U.S.'s "goal is to change that dynamic" in Caracas.
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What To Know
Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, said on Saturday the Coast Guard had seized a vessel that had last docked in Venezuela in a "pre-dawn action." The Department of Homeland Security oversees the U.S. Coast Guard.
She said the U.S. would continue to stop the "illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region." Noem said the Pentagon, which has been conducting the U.S. strike campaign on suspected drug trafficking boats since early September, assisted in the operation.
Venezuela's foreign ministry said it "categorically denounces and rejects the theft and kidnapping of a new private vessel transporting Venezuelan oil, as well as the forced disappearance of its crew."
Caracas said the "serious act of piracy" would "not go unpunished," adding it would file complaints with the United Nations Security Council and other bodies.
Noem shared a seven-minute clip marked "unclassified," appearing to show U.S. soldiers landing on a ship via helicopter with the name "Centuries" emblazoned on its side.
According to ship tracking data, the "Centuries" is a Panama-flagged crude oil tanker with its last known location close to Venezuela. It does not appear to show up on any current U.S. sanctions lists.
The vessel was carrying sanctioned oil belonging to Venezuela's state-owned oil and natural gas company, Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a post to social media.
"It was a falsely flagged vessel operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet to traffic stolen oil and fund the narcoterrorist Maduro regime," Kelly said.
Shadow fleet is a term used to describe oil-carrying ships that dodge sanctions on oil-exporting countries like Venezuela or Russia. The tankers are sometimes referred to as ghost or phantom vessels.
Trump said on December 10 the U.S. had taken control of a first tanker which the president described as the "largest one ever seized." The ship was later identified as the Skipper.
The Justice Department published its unsealed warrant for the seizure of the Skipper two days later, saying the vessel had been previously linked to support of Lebanese-based and Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. It has been designated a foreign terrorist group by the U.S. since 1997.
Axios reported on December 16 the U.S. was gearing up to seize more sanctioned oil tankers close to Venezuela, citing anonymous officials.
What People Are Saying
The Venezuelan government said on Saturday: "International law will prevail, and those responsible for these grave acts will be held accountable before justice and history for their criminal conduct."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement on Saturday:" President Trump has been clear: the blockade of sanctioned oil tankers departing from, or bound for, Venezuela will remain in full force until Maduro’s criminal enterprise returns every stolen American asset."
What Happens Next
The Trump administration has refused to rule out directly attacking Venezuelan land or directly squaring off against Maduro's regime, although analysts have long said the White House is unlikely to commit to a boots-on-the-ground invasion. But Congress this week failed to pass two Democrat-led resolutions that would have restrained the U.S.'s actions against Venezuela.
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