Caracas: The US has seized an oil tanker that had recently departed from Venezuela, according to the US Department of Homeland Security. This marks the second instance within the month of an oil-carrying vessel being seized off Venezuela's coast.
According to BBC, the move follows President Donald Trump's declaration of a "blockade" on sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. Venezuela has condemned the US action, describing it as "theft and kidnapping," and has accused the Trump administration of attempting to appropriate its resources. The Venezuelan government stated that "these acts will not go unpunished," and it plans to file a complaint with the UN Security Council and other international bodies.
The US Coast Guard led the operation, similar to an earlier one this month. The ship was boarded by a specialized tactical team while in international waters. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem released a video of the operation on X, showing US helicopters landing on the deck of a ship named Centuries. The ship is flagged under Panama but has previously sailed under the flags of Greece and Liberia, based on records reviewed by BBC Verify. Notably, it is not listed among US Treasury-sanctioned vessels.
In recent weeks, the US has amplified its military presence in the Caribbean Sea, conducting fatal strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling boats, with around 100 casualties reported. No public evidence has been provided to support claims that these vessels were transporting drugs, leading to increased scrutiny from Congress regarding the strikes.
The Trump administration has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a designated-terrorist organization, Cartel de los Soles, an allegation Maduro denies. Trump has further accused Maduro's government of utilizing "stolen" oil to finance "Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping."
After the second ship's seizure, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated on X that the US would persist in its "unflinchingly conduct maritime interdiction operations... to dismantle illicit criminal networks," emphasizing that "violence, drugs, and chaos will not control the Western Hemisphere."
Venezuela, home to the world's largest proven oil reserves, heavily relies on oil export revenues to support government spending. Trump's blockade announcement followed less than a week after the US seized another oil tanker, believed to be part of a "ghost fleet" off the Venezuelan coast, allegedly using various strategies to obscure its activities. The Venezuelan government criticized the action, with Maduro asserting that the US "kidnapped the crew" and "stole" the ship.