Trump vows to keep seized Venezuelan oil as tanker blockade expands
President Trump has declared Venezuela’s government a Foreign Terrorist Organization and ordered a “total and complete” blockade of sanctioned oil tankers, vowing “We’re gonna keep” roughly 3.7 million barrels seized as U.S. Coast Guard and Navy teams have interdicted at least two tankers (Skipper and Centuries) and are pursuing a third (Bella 1). The campaign—targeting a shadow “dark fleet” blamed for sanctions evasion and tied by the administration to narco‑terror networks—has provoked international condemnation and legal warnings at home over its legality and risks of escalation, even as analysts warn it will further squeeze Venezuela’s oil‑dependent economy and deepen humanitarian strains.
📌 Key Facts
- President Trump has ordered what he called a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers to and from Venezuela, formally designated Venezuela’s government (and related groups) as terrorist/criminal actors, publicly vowed “we're gonna keep” seized Venezuelan oil and ships, and floated options to sell the oil, allow U.S. creditors ($20.5 billion in court‑approved claims) to claim it, or store it in the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
- The U.S. has carried out multiple maritime interdictions: the Dec. 10 seizure of the Skipper, a predawn seizure and boarding of the Panama‑flagged tanker Centuries (carrying roughly 1.8–1.9 million barrels, valued at ~$90–$95 million), and a second Coast Guard‑led seizure; U.S. forces (Coast Guard Maritime Special Reaction Team, Navy, helicopters) are actively pursuing other sanctioned “dark fleet” vessels, including Bella 1 (reported empty and heading to load).
- U.S. officials say the campaign targets a “shadow” or “dark/ghost” fleet that evades sanctions through false flags, shell companies, transponder shut‑offs and mid‑sea transfers, and some targeted vessels have alleged ties to Hezbollah/IRGC and narco‑trafficking; Treasury/OFAC has also sanctioned family members and associates of Maduro’s inner circle as part of the crackdown.
- Venezuela denounces the seizures and blockade as “piracy,” “robbery” and a neo‑colonial seizure of resources and has appealed to the U.N.; China has formally condemned at least one interdiction. Legal scholars and some lawmakers warn a blockade and seizures without congressional authorization risk violating international law and could escalate into wider conflict.
- Analysts note Venezuela is heavily dependent on oil (estimated >300 billion barrels of reserves) and that the U.S. enforcement push has left millions of barrels stranded offshore (analysts estimate ~11 million barrels on about 39 tankers) while the seized vessels together hold roughly 3.7 million barrels — tightening Maduro’s liquidity and pressuring the regime even as Venezuelan crude trades at steep discounts.
- Administration lawyers and advisers point to multiple legal hooks for seizures—existing PDVSA sanctions, the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation of Venezuela and the Cartel de los Soles, and judicial asset‑forfeiture proceedings (citing the 2023 Suez Rajan Iranian‑oil case as precedent)—and have secured third‑party consent (e.g., Panama) for some boardings under bilateral agreements.
- The campaign has included a growing U.S. military presence in the region (troops, nearly a dozen warships and an aircraft carrier), mixed congressional reaction, and warnings from experts that policing a global shadow fleet of perhaps hundreds to a thousand vessels would be resource‑intensive and legally complex, even as White House officials argue domestic fuel prices are unlikely to be affected.
📊 Relevant Data
The Venezuelan immigrant population in the United States grew by 318 percent from 2010 to 2023, reaching approximately 770,000 people.
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
Approximately 48 percent of Venezuelan immigrants ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 35 percent of all immigrants and 36 percent of U.S.-born adults.
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
Venezuelan immigrants have a poverty rate of 17 percent, compared to 14 percent for all immigrants and 12 percent for U.S.-born individuals.
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
Over 7.9 million people have left Venezuela as refugees and migrants globally.
Venezuela situation — UNHCR
US-led sanctions caused Venezuela to lose oil revenue equivalent to 213% of its GDP between January 2019 and December 2024.
They Are Making Venezuela’s Economy Scream: The Eighteenth Newsletter (2025) — Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research
📰 Sources (25)
Trump on seized Venezuelan oil: "We're gonna keep it"
New information:
- President Trump publicly stated about the roughly 3.7 million barrels of seized Venezuelan crude, "We're gonna keep it," and ruled out returning the oil for now.
- Trump outlined three options for the seized oil: selling it on the open market to fund government, letting U.S.-based creditors with $20.5 billion in court-approved claims against Venezuela lay claim, or storing it outright in the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
- Trump added that "we're keeping the ships, also," despite legal complications in the case of the Centuries, which was not sanctioned when boarded.
- The article specifies that Centuries was carrying at least 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan crude worth more than $90 million, owned by a Hong Kong-based company and sailing under a Panamanian flag, and that China has formally condemned its interdiction.
- Energy analyst Fernando Ferreira explains that the U.S. can keep the oil via an asset-forfeiture proceeding in federal court, citing the 2023 Suez Rajan case involving Iranian oil as precedent.
U.S. seizes second oil tanker off Venezuela as Trump warns Maduro
New information:
- CBS piece explicitly notes that an 'elite unit of the Coast Guard' seized control of a second tanker off Venezuela that the U.S. says was carrying sanctioned oil.
- The report emphasizes President Trump personally vowing not to back down from his 'pressure campaign' against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in connection with the maritime seizures.
Trump administration targets more Venezuelan oil tankers, concerns emerge about Epstein files
New information:
- CBS cites a U.S. official saying the Trump administration has seized a second oil tanker near Venezuela and publicly announced that a third tanker is being pursued.
- The segment explicitly characterizes the administration as "targeting more Venezuelan oil tankers," reinforcing that the campaign is expanding beyond a single seizure.
- It notes that these maritime actions are occurring alongside, and politically intertwined with, congressional concerns over DOJ’s handling and release of Jeffrey Epstein–related files.
U.S. pursuing another tanker near Venezuela, official says
New information:
- CBS piece reiterates that the U.S. has seized another oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast 'over the weekend,' consistent with earlier reporting on multiple recent seizures.
- A U.S. official tells CBS that the Coast Guard is currently pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker near Venezuela, emphasizing that the pursuit is ongoing.
- The segment frames the latest seizure and active pursuit together, underscoring that the operation is not a one‑off but part of a continuing enforcement effort.
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New information:
- A U.S. official told NPR the Coast Guard is currently in 'active pursuit of a ship' linked to Venezuela, described as a dark fleet vessel attempting to illegally evade sanctions.
- NPR emphasizes that dark fleet tankers use deceptive practices, such as flying fake national flags, to obscure their origins and destinations.
- The article situates the pursuit as part of President Trump’s declared blockade of sanctioned tankers and his recent threat of a 'total blockage' and increased military pressure unless Venezuela returns 'stolen' oil assets.
U.S. pursuing third oil tanker off Venezuela coast, official says
New information:
- CBS reports, citing a U.S. official, that the U.S. Coast Guard is actively pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker near Venezuela as part of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign on Nicolás Maduro.
- The CBS segment characterizes the action broadly as 'another move' in the administration’s strategy to pressure Maduro, reinforcing that the third tanker pursuit is ongoing rather than only contemplated or completed.
U.S. Coast Guard pursuing third oil tanker off Venezuela coast, source says
New information:
- Confirms that in a pre‑dawn Saturday operation the U.S. Coast Guard seized a Panama‑flagged vessel named Centuries in international waters off Venezuela.
- Reports that on Sunday the Coast Guard was actively pursuing another 'sanctioned dark fleet' vessel off Venezuela operating under a false flag and subject to a U.S. judicial seizure order.
- Includes a White House quote from Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly calling Centuries 'a falsely flagged vessel operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet to traffic stolen oil and fund the narcoterrorist Maduro regime.'
- Details Venezuela’s official response, calling the seizure 'a serious act of piracy' and vowing to bring complaints to the U.N. Security Council and other multilateral bodies.
- Notes President Trump’s public call for a 'total and complete blockade' on all sanctioned oil tankers entering or departing Venezuela as part of the pressure campaign.
- Adds Kevin Hassett’s comment that the seized tankers were black‑market ships serving sanctioned countries and that Americans 'don't need to be worried' about domestic oil prices from the seizures.
Coast Guard pursuing another tanker helping Venezuela skirt oil sanctions, U.S. official says
New information:
- Confirms that, as of Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard is actively pursuing another sanctioned ‘dark fleet’ tanker in the Caribbean Sea that is allegedly flying a false flag and is under a judicial seizure order.
- Clarifies that the most recent seized vessel, Centuries, was taken in a predawn Saturday operation and was described by the White House as a ‘falsely flagged vessel’ operating as part of Venezuela’s shadow fleet trafficking ‘stolen oil.’
- Reiterates that Skipper, seized Dec. 10, was not flying any national flag at the time of its interdiction by the Coast Guard with Navy assistance.
- Adds on‑the‑record characterization from a U.S. official that Sunday’s target is part of ‘Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion’ network.
- Further links the tanker seizures rhetorically to President Trump’s declared ‘blockade’ of Venezuela and his renewed demands that Caracas return assets seized from U.S. oil companies, framing the campaign partly around disputed U.S. investments.
U.S. intercepting third oil tanker as Venezuela hostilities intensify
New information:
- Confirms that U.S. is now targeting a third tanker, Bella 1, in addition to Skipper and Centuries already reported seized, indicating an ongoing, expanding series of interdictions.
- Details that Bella 1 is currently empty and heading to Venezuela to load crude, differentiating its operational status from the first two tankers.
- Provides the 2024 Treasury sanctions background on Bella 1 for ties to Hezbollah and IRGC‑Qods Force, expanding the understanding of why this specific ship is in focus.
- Cites U.S. officials saying Panama granted permission to board Centuries and Bella 1 under the Salas‑Becker Agreement, adding a legal and diplomatic underpinning not in earlier coverage.
- Quantifies that each of the first two seized vessels carried nearly 1.8–1.9 million barrels, or about $95 million worth of oil, sharpening the economic scale of the blockade.
- Describes Trump’s recent declaration of a 'blockade' on sanctioned oil vessels and formal designation of Venezuela’s government as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, clarifying the policy escalation around the seizures.
U.S. seizes another oil tanker near Venezuela
New information:
- CBS notes simply that the U.S. has confirmed seizing an oil tanker near Venezuela, led by the Coast Guard in international waters, and describes it as the second such seizure this month — consistent with the earlier-reported tightening blockade.
- The segment briefly ties the tanker seizure news to the same news cycle in which the U.S. military struck more than 70 ISIS targets in Syria, underscoring concurrent U.S. kinetic operations on multiple fronts.
U.S. forces stop 2nd oil tanker off Venezuelan coast as Trump follows up on ‘blockade’ promise
New information:
- Identifies the boarded vessel as the crude oil tanker Centuries, flying under the Panamanian flag and recently spotted near Venezuela per MarineTraffic.
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly confirms the operation, posts an unclassified video on X showing a U.S. helicopter landing personnel on the Centuries.
- U.S. official characterizes the action as a 'consented boarding' in which the tanker stopped voluntarily and allowed U.S. forces to board.
- Article frames the boarding explicitly as part of Trump’s newly announced 'blockade' of sanctioned oil tankers in and out of Venezuela and notes this is the second such action in less than two weeks, following the Dec. 10 seizure of the Skipper.
- Trump is quoted justifying the blockade partly by demanding Venezuela 'return' energy rights and oil assets nationalized from U.S. companies, referencing past expropriations and a $1.6 billion arbitration award to ExxonMobil.
Second tanker seized near Venezuela as US enforces oil blockade
New information:
- Confirms that a U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Special Reaction Team, assisted by the U.S. Navy, carried out the second tanker seizure off Venezuela on Saturday.
- Frames the boarding explicitly as part of enforcement of President Trump’s declared "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
- Notes that the White House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital for comment, indicating no additional public guidance yet on rules of engagement or scope.
U.S. seized vessel off the coast of Venezuela, sources say
New information:
- U.S. officials confirm the United States has seized a second sanctioned vessel in international waters off Venezuela, days after Trump’s 'total and complete blockade' order.
- The latest interdiction was led by the U.S. Coast Guard, using a specialized tactical team conducting a right‑of‑visit boarding, with participation from multiple federal entities including the U.S. Navy.
- U.S. officials say the second operation followed a 'similar playbook' to the earlier seizure, indicating a broader, ongoing enforcement campaign rather than a one‑off action.
- CBS details that the earlier seized tanker was a 20‑year‑old oil vessel sanctioned three years ago by the U.S. Treasury for allegedly helping fund the Iranian military and its proxies through an oil‑smuggling network.
- Venezuela’s government has formally denounced the seizures and blockade as 'robbery,' 'piracy,' a 'grotesque threat,' and a violation of international law aimed at appropriating its oil, land and minerals.
U.S. forces stop a 2nd merchant vessel off Venezuela coast, officials say
New information:
- Confirms that after Trump’s declaration of a 'blockade' of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, U.S. forces have already stopped a second merchant vessel off Venezuela’s coast in international waters.
- Links the new interdiction to the previously reported Dec. 10 seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, indicating a pattern of repeated U.S. maritime actions under the blockade policy.
Maduro tests Trump with "Plan B" oil tanker strategy
New information:
- Venezuela has allowed two large, crude‑laden tankers that are not currently on the U.S. sanctions list to sail from its ports, one reportedly under Venezuelan military escort, as a way to probe Trump’s newly announced blockade without directly defying it.
- Analysts describe this as Maduro’s 'Plan B': dozens of tankers that are on U.S. sanctions lists remain in Venezuelan waters to avoid capture, while unsanctioned vessels attempt to move oil to buyers such as China.
- The piece lays out how Trump advisers see multiple legal hooks to seize these unsanctioned tankers anyway: Venezuela’s government itself has now been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization; the Cartel de los Soles, tied to Maduro, was labeled an FTO on Nov. 24; and PDVSA has been under U.S. sanctions since 2019.
- Trump told NBC he 'wouldn't rule out going to war' with Venezuela, and a Trump adviser is quoted saying 'Maduro just does not know who he's messing with,' underscoring rising escalation rhetoric.
- The article notes that, despite the blockade and prior seizure of a roughly 1.9 million‑barrel sanctioned tanker, the administration has not gone to full 'maximum pressure' because Chevron still operates in Venezuela under U.S. license, providing Caracas with hundreds of thousands of barrels per day outside U.S. sanctions, and many tankers remain unsanctioned.
- Treasury is in the process of sanctioning additional vessels and has just announced new financial sanctions on members of Maduro’s family and associated businessmen, expanding the pool of targets.
- Maduro’s government has denounced the U.S. actions as 'piracy,' called Trump’s social‑media posts 'fanciful and incoherent,' labeled the campaign a 'neo‑colonial' oil grab, and petitioned the United Nations to intervene, with Venezuela’s armed forces invoking national resistance in a formal statement.
Trump’s Venezuela oil blockade puts Chevron in the middle of a high-stakes sanctions crackdown
New information:
- Article specifies that Chevron is the last remaining U.S. oil company operating in Venezuela and explains it has been forced into minority partnerships with PDVSA.
- Chevron states its Venezuela operations 'continue without disruption' and 'in full compliance' with U.S. sanctions frameworks despite Trump’s new blockade order.
- The piece clarifies that U.S. authorities seized a specific 'nondescript' tanker on Dec. 10 as part of the shadow fleet, and that this occurred before Trump’s subsequent order of a 'total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers' to and from Venezuela.
- Brookings analyst Vanda Felbab‑Brown and CSIS analyst Benjamin Jensen provide on‑record assessments: Felbab‑Brown warns it would be 'very resource‑consuming' for the U.S. to locate and seize every ship, while Jensen underscores that Venezuelan economic survival is 'wholly dependent on oil.'
- Heritage Foundation’s Diana Furchtgott‑Roth is quoted framing the blockade as a broader warning to others attempting to evade U.S. sanctions.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is cited saying the U.S. intends to seize the oil aboard at least one targeted tanker.
Trump administration targets Maduro’s inner circle, family in major narco-state crackdown
New information:
- Treasury’s OFAC announced new sanctions targeting seven family members and associates tied to Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
- The action explicitly focuses on family networks of previously sanctioned figures Carlos Erik Malpica Flores and Ramon Carretero Napolitano.
- Named individuals include Eloisa Flores de Malpica (Malpica Flores’s mother and sister of Cilia Flores), Carlos Evelio Malpica Torrealba (his father), Iriamni Malpica Flores (his sister), Damaris del Carmen Hurtado Perez (his wife), and Erica Patricia Malpica Hurtado (his adult daughter).
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent characterized Maduro’s regime as a 'rogue narco-state' and said the U.S. 'will not allow Venezuela to continue flooding our nation with deadly drugs.'
- The article notes that OFAC provides a formal process for sanctioned individuals to petition for removal, emphasizing sanctions are not necessarily permanent.
Rubio identifies 'single most serious threat' to the US from Western Hemisphere
New information:
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly defined 'transnational terrorist criminal groups primarily focused on narco‑trafficking' as the 'single most serious threat' to the U.S. from the Western Hemisphere.
- Rubio singled out Venezuela’s 'illegitimate regime' as the only government in the region that refuses to cooperate and instead 'openly cooperates' with terrorist and criminal elements.
- He alleged Venezuela 'invites Hezbollah and Iran to operate from their territory' and uses its territory as a transshipment point for narco‑trafficking.
- Rubio explicitly framed recent U.S. maritime strikes on drug boats and sanctions moves as part of a broader strategy to change an 'intolerable' status quo with Venezuela.
- The article reiterates that Trump has formally declared the Maduro regime a Foreign Terrorist Organization and ordered a total blockade of oil tankers in and out of Venezuela, contextualizing these actions within Rubio’s threat narrative.
Trump’s blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil raises new questions about legality
New information:
- Article emphasizes that Trump himself has publicly used the word “blockade” to describe the tactic and that the White House claims it targets only vessels already under U.S. economic sanctions, not civilians generally.
- Provides new, prominent legal analysis from Claire Finkelstein of the University of Pennsylvania arguing that the aggressive use of a blockade without congressional authorization stretches international law and looks like an attempt to elicit a Venezuelan armed response that would be used to justify U.S. self‑defense.
- Adds on‑the‑record criticism from Rep. Jason Crow, a combat veteran, warning there is no consultation with Congress and that this is “exactly how wars start and how conflicts escalate out of control.”
- Details Republican reactions on Capitol Hill: Rep. Michael McCaul explicitly equates targeting Venezuelan tankers with prior actions against Iranian ‘shadow tankers’ and says he has “no problem with that,” while noting that GOP lawmakers have repeatedly blocked Democratic war‑powers efforts to require authorization for the broader Latin America campaign.
- Updates cumulative operational tally tied to the campaign: 28 alleged drug‑smuggling boats attacked and at least 104 people killed since early September, and notes that Trump has publicly promised that land strikes inside the region are “next” while increasingly linking Maduro to drug cartels.
- Highlights that the blockade is being framed by the administration as part of an "armed conflict" with drug cartels, sharpening the legal debate over whether this constitutes war against a foreign state (Venezuela) without congressional approval.
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New information:
- NPR specifies that Trump has ‘ordered a ban on all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela,’ describing it as a threat of a ‘partial blockade’ rather than a total naval blockade.
- NPR, citing correspondent Greg Myre, emphasizes that a full blockade would be considered an act of war but that the administration is currently focusing on tankers already on the U.S. sanctions list, especially so‑called ‘ghost ships’ that disguise identity and location.
- The article quantifies that a fully loaded large tanker can carry more than $100 million worth of oil, underscoring the potential financial impact on Venezuela and the deterrent effect on non‑sanctioned shippers.
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