After seizing oil tanker off Venezuelan coast, US plans to seize more - National & International News - THU 11Dec2025 -

After seizing oil tanker off Venezuelan coast, US planning to seize more. Maduro reportedly preparing his exit.

After seizing oil tanker off Venezuelan coast, US preparing to seize more

Earlier this week, an oil tanker was seized near Venezuela in a joint operation by the US Navy and Coast Guard. The Skipper, over 1000 feet long, was carrying a cargo of crude oil worth millions of dollars, which the US says it intends to seize. The Trump administration claims the oil was from Venezuela and that the Skipper was part of a global shadow fleet used to transport oil for sanctioned oil-rich economies across the world. The ships in this shadow fleet are often poorly maintained and operate without insurance, their ownership obscured by shell companies.

As part of its growing pressure campaign on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the US is reportedly planning to seize more ships in this shadow fleet. There are currently at least 30 previously-sanctioned ships in Venezuelan harbors. These ships are believed to carry crude oil from countries seeking to circumvent US and Western sanctions on the sale of their oil. This includes Venezuela, but also Russia, Iran and others.

Russia and its European ally Belarus have responded by reaching out to Maduro and his envoys. Maduro reportedly told President Trump in a recent call that he would be willing to relinquish power in his country and leave. Maduro has asked for full legal amnesty, which would include the lifting of US sanctions on his family.

There are indications that either Russia or Belarus may be considering offering Maduro safe haven. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a Putin ally, reportedly told a Venezuelan enjoy that Maduro was always welcome in Belarus and that it was time he paid a visit.

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