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Washington-Caracas tensions intensify! US seizes tanker off Venezuelan coast
2025-12-21 09:56:01 / BOTA
The US has seized a ship in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, US officials told CBS.
It is the second time this month that the US has seized a ship off the country's coast. The move comes after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was ordering a "blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
Venezuela has yet to respond to the latest seizure by the US, but has previously accused Washington of trying to steal its oil resources.
The operation was led by the U.S. Coast Guard, similar to an operation earlier this month, CBS reports. The ship was boarded by a specialized tactical team.
In recent weeks, the US has increased its military presence in the Caribbean Sea and carried out deadly attacks on ships suspected of smuggling drugs from Venezuela, killing about 100 people.
The US has provided no public evidence that these ships were transporting drugs, and the military has come under increasing scrutiny from Congress over the attacks.
The US has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a declared terrorist organization called the Cartel de los Soles, which he denies.
The Trump administration accuses him and the group of using "stolen" oil to "fund themselves, drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder and kidnapping."
Venezuela – which is home to the world's largest proven oil reserves – relies heavily on oil export revenues to finance its government spending.
Trump's announcement of a "blockade" came less than a week after the US seized an oil tanker believed to be part of the "ghost fleet" off the coast of Venezuela, which allegedly used various strategies to hide its work.
The White House said the ship in question, named Skipper, was involved in the "illegal transportation of oil" and was about to be sent to a US port.
The Venezuelan government criticized the move, with Maduro saying the US "kidnapped the crew" and "stole" the ship.
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