U.S. forces abseil onto an oil tanker during a raid described by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as its seizure by the United States off the coast of Venezuela, Dec. 10, 2025, in a still image from video.

U.S. Attorney General | Via Reuters

The White House said Thursday that a large crude oil tanker seized off the Venezuelan coast by U.S. forces “will go to a U.S. port.”

“And the United States does intend to seize the oil,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a briefing, a day after the vessel, identified as “Skipper,” was boarded and taken control of by American authorities.

“However, there is a legal process for the seizure of that oil and that legal process will be followed,” Leavitt said.

“The United States currently has a full investigative team on the ground on the vessel, and individuals on board the vessel are being interviewed, and any relevant evidence is being seized,” she said.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested the ship’s contents could remain in U.S. possession.

“Well, we keep it, I guess,” Trump told reporters Wednesday during a business roundtable at the White House, hours after the Skipper was seized.

Similar seizures in the past have led to the sale of confiscated assets.

Matt Smith, head U.S. analyst at energy consulting firm Kpler, told CNBC that Skipper was covertly loaded with 1.1 million barrels of oil in mid-November and appeared to be headed for Cuba. Though the tanker flew Guyana flags, the country’s Maritime Administration Department said in a statement on Wednesday that the ship was not registered in Guyana.

“In past instances, mainly involving Iran, the oil is sold and the US government kept the proceeds. There’s a civil asset forfeiture process,” said Bob McNally, founder and president of Rapidan Energy Group and a former White House energy advisor to President George W. Bush.

“We expect that to be followed in this case,” McNally said.

Read more CNBC politics coverageTSA is giving airline passenger data to ICE for deportation push: NYTTrump’s AI order may be ‘illegal,’ Democrats and consumer advocacy groups claimTrump sued by preservation group seeking to halt White House ballroom projectTrump says ‘no big deal’ after new Epstein photos showing him releasedPutin can fund war for years, ex-official says as Trump’s resolve is testedIndiana redistricting bill that Trump demanded defeated in state SenateHouse passes INVEST Act to ease investment standards, boost capital in marketsDOJ fails again to indict New York AG James, a Trump target: ReportsTrump ‘sells out’ U.S. national security with Nvidia chip sales to China: WarrenTrump pushes for top prosecutor nominee Halligan after Comey, James cases tossedTrump willing to seize more oil tankers off Venezuela coast: White HouseSeized tanker will go to U.S. port, Trump admin intends ‘to seize the oil’GOP lawmakers seek Trump aid for agricultural equipment after tariff pressureTrump says Fed could have ‘at least doubled’ latest interest rate cut‘Spoof’ ship: Seized oil tanker hid location, visited Iran and VenezuelaTrump admin touts pulling 9,500 truckers off road for failing English testsSwiss government says new 15% U.S. tariff ceiling retroactive to mid-NovemberHomeland Security Dept. buying Boeing 737s for ICE deportationsTrump officials move to end student loan payment pause for millions of borrowersJudge unseals Ghislaine Maxwell grand jury materials, citing Epstein files actUkraine at ‘critical moment’ in war as European allies ramp up pressure on RussiaDemocrats establish AI working group as industry bolsters DC presenceEx-Trump lawyer Habba resigns as NJ U.S. attorney after disqualificationTrump announces $12 billion aid package for farmers caught up in trade warTrump says Netflix, WBD deal could be ‘problem’ as son-in-law backs Paramount bidSupreme Court to hear case on Trump birthright citizenship orderTrump can fire labor, employment board members without cause: Appeals courtTrump administration views Netflix, Warner Bros. deal with ‘heavy skepticism’Costco adds Biden Commerce Sec. Raimondo to board after Trump tariff lawsuitNew York Times sues Pentagon, Hegseth over media access policyCongressional watchdog probes Trump FHFA chief Bill PulteJan. 6 pipe bomb suspect Brian Cole arrested, faces explosives charges, DOJ saysJudge dismisses James Comey and Letitia James cases over ‘unlawful’ prosecutor appointmentSen. Mark Kelly faces Pentagon probe for video on refusing ‘unlawful orders’Trump spoke with Chinese President XiBessent says no recession in 2026 but notes some sectors are challengedU.S. lawmakers say Rubio told Trump’s Ukraine peace plan is Russia’s ‘wish list’

Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates, a petroleum analysis firm, told CNBC that the U.S. has seized Iranian oil sold into the U.S. Gulf Coast on multiple occasions in recent years.

“There is a process, ultimately the USA has to indemnify anyone taking part in the transaction, which includes the oil buyer, any tankers required for the lightering operation or any of the service providers involved in the transaction,” Lipow said. Lightering is the process of transferring cargo, oil or hazardous materials from one ship to another.

“They have done it in the past, will do so again,” Lipow said.

Past seizures have resulted in windfalls for the U.S.

In 2024, the U.S. seized and sold Iranian oil, generating $47 million in proceeds, some of which could be directed toward the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia earlier this year.

The U.S. Marshals Service also operates an asset forfeiture program that includes managing and selling assets seized by the DOJ. But the Marshals Service is not involved in the Venezuelan seizure, according to an agency spokesperson.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a post on X on Wednesday, said that the ship had been sanctioned for multiple years because of its “involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.”

“Our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues,” Bondi wrote.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the seizure during testimony at a House hearing on Thursday.

“It was a successful operation directed by the president to ensure that we’re pushing back on a regime that is systematically covering and flooding our country with deadly drugs and killing our next generation of Americans,” Noem told the House Homeland Security Committee.

She touted the Coast Guard’s efforts to target drug smugglers and “those individuals that are funding it with a shadow fleet of sanctioned oil that should never be sold to benefit their profits and their pockets to kill Americans.”