Venezuela Accuses US Of ‘Naval Piracy’ After Tanker Seizure And Fresh Sanctions

Last Updated:December 12, 2025, 08:57 IST

The US sanctioned six ships and seized a tanker for alleged Venezuelan oil smuggling, escalating pressure on Nicolás Maduro, who condemned the move as 'naval piracy'.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro . (AFP photo)

The United States has imposed a new round of sanctions targeting six ships accused of transporting Venezuelan oil, just a day after American forces seized a tanker off the country’s coast. The move marks a significant escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against President Nicolás Maduro.

The seized vessel, a tanker named Skipper, was involved in “illicit oil shipping," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. She confirmed the ship is being taken to a US port, a move Caracas has condemned as “international piracy."

In addition to the vessels, the US levied sanctions on several relatives of President Maduro and a network of businesses linked to what Washington calls his “illegitimate regime."

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures target Maduro’s “dictatorial and brutal control," adding that the administration is holding his “cronies and companies accountable" for ongoing abuses.

The crackdown is part of a broader strategy aimed at disrupting what Washington says is a pipeline of narcotics into the United States. The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of using oil shipments and maritime routes to move drugs, claims Caracas denies.

On Wednesday, the White House released video footage showing camouflaged US soldiers descending from a helicopter onto the Skipper, weapons drawn, before securing the ship. The Venezuelan government has reacted with fury.

Maduro accused the US of “kidnapping the crew" and “stealing the ship," calling the operation “the era of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean."

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello labelled the US “murderers, thieves, pirates," claiming it was the same pattern by which Washington had “started wars all over the world."

Venezuela, home to some of the world’s largest oil reserves, has long accused the US of attempting to seize control of its natural resources. Maduro on Wednesday vowed Venezuela would never become an “oil colony."

But Leavitt said the US remains committed to stopping drug trafficking and enforcing sanctions. Asked whether more ship seizures were planned, she declined to comment but emphasised that Washington would not allow “sanctioned vessels [to] sail the seas with black market oil," saying profits fuel “narco-terrorism."

The US intends to seize the Skipper’s oil cargo after legal processes are complete, she added.

Leavitt also dismissed any concern within the White House after Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned Maduro earlier in the day to express support amid growing US pressure.

The escalation comes as the US significantly boosts its military footprint in the Caribbean Sea, which borders Venezuela. In the days leading up to the Skipper raid, thousands of US troops and the USS Gerald Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, were deployed near Venezuelan waters.

CBS reports that the Skipper had already been sanctioned in 2022 for allegedly helping smuggle oil to generate funds for Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.

With tensions rising on both sides, Maduro’s government says the US actions risk triggering a new regional conflict while Washington insists it is enforcing sanctions and combating organised crime.

News world Venezuela Accuses US Of ‘Naval Piracy’ After Tanker Seizure And Fresh Sanctions

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