A second ship carrying Venezuelan oil is intercepted by the United States; what is known

The United States seized this Saturday (12/20) an oil tanker that had recently left Venezuela, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.

This is the second time this month that the United States has seized a ship carrying oil near the Venezuelan coast.

This action comes after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (16/12) that he was ordering a “total blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

In a statement posted on social media, the Venezuelan government condemned what it called an “act of piracy” and “hijacking” of a private vessel carrying Venezuelan oil – and said these “acts will not go unpunished.”

The statement said the South American country will file a complaint with the United Nations Security Council, in addition to contacting other countries and multilateral organizations.

Ship with Panamanian flag

In announcing the operation, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem released a seven-minute video showing U.S. helicopters landing on the deck of a ship with the name Centuries written on the side.

The Centuries is a Panama-flagged ship, but over the past five years it has also sailed under the flags of Greece and Liberia, according to information seen by BBC Verify, the BBC’s verification service.

The ship is not on the U.S. Treasury’s list of sanctioned vessels.

In a New York Times article, Venezuelan oil industry officials said the cargo belonged to a China-based oil trader, which has historically transported Venezuelan oil to Chinese refineries.

A U.S. government official also told the newspaper that the Coast Guard was trying to determine whether the tanker’s Panamanian registration was valid.

The United States has accused the ships leaving Venezuela of being part of a “ghost fleet,” which allegedly uses various strategies to conceal its activities.

According to Washington, these ships are part of the networks used by Nicolas Maduro’s government to transport oil to the international market, despite restrictions, often involving reflagging, shutdown of tracking systems and transfers of goods on the high seas.

New operation

Saturday’s operation was led by the US Coast Guard, like the one carried out earlier this month. The vessel was approached by a specialist tactical team and was in international waters when it was seized.

“In a pre-dawn action on the morning of December 20, the U.S. Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, seized an oil tanker recently docked in Venezuela,” wrote Kristi Noem.

“The United States will continue to pursue illicit movements of sanctioned oil that is used to finance narcoterrorism in the region,” Noem wrote, adding, “We will find them and we will stop them.”

In recent weeks, the United States has expanded its military presence in the Caribbean Sea and carried out deadly attacks on suspected Venezuelan drug trafficking boats, resulting in the deaths of around 100 people.

The United States has not publicly presented evidence that these ships were carrying drugs, and the U.S. military has been increasingly questioned by Congress over the attacks.

Americans accuse Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a designated terrorist organization called the Cartel de los Soles, which he denies.

The Trump administration accuses Maduro and the group of using “stolen” oil to finance themselves, in addition to financing narcoterrorism, human trafficking, murders and kidnappings.

After the second ship was seized, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on X that the United States would continue “to conduct maritime interdiction operations without hesitation…to dismantle illicit criminal networks.”

“Violence, drugs and chaos will not control the Western Hemisphere.”

Venezuela – which has the world’s largest proven oil reserves – relies heavily on revenue from its oil exports to finance public spending.

The first vessel seized, named Skipper, would be transported to an American port, according to the White House at the time of the operation.

The Venezuelan government condemned the action, with Maduro saying the United States had “kidnapped the crew” and “stolen” the ship.