The official, who was not authorised to comment publicly about the ongoing operation and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the pursuit involved \u201ca sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela\u2019s illegal sanctions evasion\u201d.<\/p>\n
The official said the vessel was flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.<\/p>\n
It’s the second stop in less than two weeks as US President Donald Trump continues to ramp up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro. (Source: US Homeland Security) (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n
The Coast Guard\u2019s pursuit of the tanker was first reported by Reuters.<\/p>\n
The weekend’s predawn seizure of a Panama-flagged vessel called Centuries targeted what the White House described as a \u201cfalsely flagged vessel operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet to traffic stolen oil\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Coast Guard, with assistance from the Navy, seized a sanctioned tanker called Skipper<\/a> on December 10, another part of the shadow fleet of tankers that the US says operates on the fringes of the law to move sanctioned cargo. It was not even flying a nation\u2019s flag when it was seized by the Coast Guard.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump, after that first seizure, said that the US would carry out a \u201cblockade\u201d of Venezuela. It all comes as Trump has ratcheted up his rhetoric<\/a> toward Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a>.<\/p>\n This past week, Trump demanded that Venezuela return assets that it seized from US oil companies years ago, justifying anew his announcement of a \u201cblockade\u201d against oil tankers travelling to or from the South American country that face American sanctions.<\/p>\n US President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth salute during a casualty return for Iowa National Guard soldiers (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n Trump cited the lost US investments in Venezuela when asked about his newest tactic in a pressure campaign against Maduro, suggesting the Republican administration\u2019s moves are at least somewhat motivated by disputes over oil investments, along with accusations of drug trafficking. <\/p>\n Some sanctioned tankers are already diverting away from Venezuela.<\/p>\n US oil companies dominated Venezuela\u2019s petroleum industry until the country\u2019s leaders moved to nationalise the sector, first in the 1970s and again in the 21st century under Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Ch\u00e1vez. Compensation offered by Venezuela was deemed insufficient, and in 2014, an international arbitration panel ordered the country\u2019s socialist government to pay U$1.6 billion (NZ$2.7 billion) to ExxonMobil.<\/p>\n Maduro said in a message on Telegram that Venezuela has spent months \u201cdenouncing, challenging and defeating a campaign of aggression that goes from psychological terrorism to corsairs attacking oil tankers\u201d.<\/p>\n The US Department of Justice released the clip showing what it says is the US military seizing an oil tanker near Venezuela. (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWe are ready to accelerate the pace of our deep revolution!\u201d<\/p>\n The targeting of tankers comes as Trump has ordered the Defense Department to carry out a series of attacks on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean that his administration alleges are smuggling fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the United States and beyond.<\/p>\n![\"US](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/us-president-donald-trump-and-defence-secretary-pete-hegseth-346M4PGMT5FV7KBEHYLQ6OAOZY.jpg\")
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