The United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Tuesday in a spectacular military operation that marks a new episode in the escalation of tensions between Washington and Caracas. US President Donald Trump announced the operation and assured that his country would keep the oil the ship was carrying, while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro called it an act of “criminal piracy”.
This incident opens a new phase in the White House’s pressure strategy against the Maduro government, which accused of running an international drug trafficking network, after months of destroying ships allegedly laden with drugs off the coast of Venezuela.
What happened to the tanker?
The Skipper, sanctioned by Washington in 2022 for allegedly transporting Iranian crude, was intercepted on Wednesday in the waters of the Caribbean Sea on the orders of an American judge, while this time it was transporting Venezuelan oil. The ship sailed under a false flag of Guyanaa country neighboring Venezuela that has supported US military deployment in the Caribbean and maintains a dispute with Caracas over the Essequibo region.
According to images released by the US Attorney’s Office, heavily armed troops boarded the ship after disembarking from a helicopter and took control of the large 333 meter long ship. Maduro denounced the crew has disappeared, while the White House says a team of American investigators is on board the ship and questioning the crew.
According to the Venezuelan government, The ship was carrying 1.9 million barrels of crude oil from state-owned PDVSA.even if the country of destination has not been specified. Trump asserted that the United States would shoulder this burden, a move that Maduro said shows Washington “has taken off its mask” and is seeking to “steal” Venezuelan oil.
The White House said Wednesday that Skipper is the subject of a “confiscation procedure” and will be transferred to an American port to proceed with the seizure of its cargo.
Is the seizure legal?
The operation generated an intense legal debate difficult to resolve while many details are unknown. The White House claims to have acted in accordance with the law, while Venezuela and its allies denounce an act of piracy. Although the United States can justify this operation within the legal framework of its sanctions, its compatibility with international law is more complex.
Washington could claim the ship was stateless, since Guyana claimed it was fraudulently flying its flag, but not everyone agrees. “The United States does not have jurisdiction to impose unilateral sanctions on non-U.S. persons outside its territory.“, says Francisco Rodríguez, of the Center for Economic and Political Research (CEPR), who adds that the seizure “creates a dangerous precedent and constitutes a violation of international law.”
What impact will this have on the Venezuelan oil sector?
Venezuela, the country with the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world, maintains an economy heavily dependent on oil, which represents more than 80% of its exports. Experts agree that the confiscation constitutes a major blow to Caracas by increasing uncertainty among exporters.
“The Maduro dictatorship should feel the pressure. “Transportation disruptions weaken your regime by reducing income.”said Jason Marczak, director of the Latin America Center at the Atlantic Council. Despite bilateral tensions, the public company PDVSA continues to carry out drilling work with the American company Chevron, which operates under a Treasury license which exempts it from sanctions.
Is this linked to operations in the Caribbean?
The Trump administration linked the confiscation of the tanker to its policy of pressure against Maduro and to the military operation in the Caribbean aimed at destroying ships allegedly loaded with drugs and which Washington links, without proof, to the Venezuelan government. “It was a successful operation led by the president to ensure we stand up to a regime that is systematically blanketing and flooding our country with deadly drugs,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Wednesday.
Asked if his strategy toward Venezuela was about fighting drug trafficking or getting oil, Trump said “it’s about a lot of things.” The Republican assures that Ground attacks will begin ‘soon’ in Venezuelawhile Maduro called on his citizens to unite against US threats and enlist in citizen militias.
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