US Seizes Oil Tanker Off Venezuela on Deadline Day of Judicial Warrant
By Hotspotnews –December 12, 2025
The United States executed a high-profile seizure of the oil tanker M/T Skipper off the coast of Venezuela on December 10, precisely as a federal judge’s warrant authorizing the action was set to expire, according to a newly unsealed court document.
The warrant, signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui on November 26, granted authorities until December 10 to carry out the operation. The document was unsealed on December 12, revealing the tight timeline that prompted the dramatic raid involving U.S. forces rappelling onto the vessel from helicopters.
The Skipper, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), had loaded approximately 1.8 million barrels of Venezuela’s Merey heavy crude at the country’s main oil port of Jose between December 4 and 5. Part of the cargo—around 200,000 barrels—was transferred to another ship near Curacao en route to Cuba before the seizure. The tanker, previously sanctioned by the U.S. in 2022 for alleged ties to illicit Iranian oil trading and support for groups including Hezbollah and Iran’s Quds Force, was described by officials as part of a “shadow fleet” evading international sanctions.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the operation, stating that the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Coast Guard, with military support, executed the warrant on a vessel used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. Video footage released by the Justice Department showed armed personnel boarding the ship without reported resistance or casualties.
FBI Director Kash Patel hailed the seizure as a success in imposing costs on the governments of Venezuela and Iran. “The seizure of this vessel highlights our successful efforts to impose costs on the governments of Venezuela and Iran,” he said in a statement.
This marks the first known U.S. interdiction of a Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019 amid efforts to pressure President Nicolás Maduro. The action comes during a broader U.S. military buildup in the southern Caribbean and follows President Donald Trump’s repeated calls to oust Maduro.
Venezuela’s government condemned the move as “blatant theft” and “international piracy,” vowing to pursue complaints through international bodies. Cuba, reliant on Venezuelan oil supplies, expressed concern over potential disruptions to its energy imports.
Sources indicate the U.S. is preparing to target additional tankers involved in Venezuelan oil transport, with reports of a list of sanctioned vessels under review. Venezuela’s oil exports have already declined sharply in the wake of the seizure and new sanctions on related shipping companies.
The operation underscores escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas, with implications for global oil markets and regional stability. The accompanying affidavit supporting the warrant remains redacted, and other case documents are sealed temporarily.photo by Reuters