The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted and seized a sanctioned ship off the coast of Venezuela in international Caribbean waters, marking the second such seizure in two weeks. The ship was operating in international waters of the Caribbean Sea.
On 20 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed the seizure via a social media post, stating the pre-dawn operation was conducted by the Coast Guard with support from the Department of Defense. She added that the oil tanker had last docked in Venezuela.
"The U.S. will continue to pursue illicit shipments of sanctioned oil that finance transnational drug trafficking networks in this region," Noem's post said. "We will find you, and we will stop you."
This is the second sanctioned ship seized by the U.S. Coast Guard. On 10 Dec 2025 GMT+7, a tactical operations team from the Coast Guard, supported by U.S. Navy helicopters, boarded and seized the oil tanker The Skipper, which was sanctioned for involvement in Venezuela's illegal oil trade.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to blockade all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, increasing pressure on President Nicolás Maduro's government.
Maduro responded that Venezuela would continue its oil trade, asserting that Trump's intention was regime change. "This will never happen, never, never, never — Venezuela will never be anyone's colony," he said.
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Source:abcnews