SeizedA heavily redacted U.S. court warrant authorizing the seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast was released Friday, offering only limited insight into a high-risk maritime operation that has sharply escalated tensions between Washington and Caracas.
Venezuelan officials swiftly condemned the move, branding it “international piracy” and “blatant theft,” while accusing the United States of unlawfully commandeering a commercial vessel in international waters.
Warrant Unsealed as Pressure Intensifies
The 32-page warrant, with more than half of its content blacked out, was signed by a magistrate judge on November 26 and executed just before its expiration. According to the document, the U.S. Coast Guard carried out the seizure under judicial authority, though key legal and operational details remain hidden.
Meanwhile, the disclosure comes amid months of mounting U.S. pressure on Venezuela. That effort has included a major naval buildup in the region and a series of deadly strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats that have killed nearly 90 people.
Dramatic Helicopter Raid at Sea
The tanker was seized during a dramatic midweek operation in which U.S. forces rappelled from a helicopter onto the vessel’s deck. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the raid targeted the Venezuelan president’s “regime,” signaling Washington’s intent to confront Caracas directly.
Video released days later showed armed American personnel descending onto the ship before entering the bridge with weapons drawn, underscoring the intensity of the operation.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the vessel was part of an “illicit oil shipping network” used to move sanctioned crude.
Alleged Ties to Iran and Hezbollah
The Justice Department identified the ship as the M/T Skipper, formerly known as the Adisa, and said it had been used to transport sanctioned fuel “in an oil shipping network supporting” Iran-backed Hezbollah and a unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, both designated by the U.S. State Department as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
“The IRGC uses proceeds from the distribution of petroleum to fund its terrorist networks,” the statement added, referring to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Washington also announced sanctions on relatives of the Venezuelan president and six companies involved in shipping the country’s oil.
FBI and White House Double Down
Federal officials described the seizure as part of a broader effort to isolate U.S. adversaries financially.
“The FBI’s Counterintelligence Division and our partners will continue to enforce US sanctions and cut off our adversaries from financial markets and critical technology,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.
“The seizure of this vessel highlights our successful efforts to impose costs on the governments of Venezuela and Iran.”
At the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the tanker would be taken to an American port and that its cargo would not be spared.
“The seized tanker will go to a US port and the United States does intend to seize the oil,” she told reporters.
“We’re not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black-market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narco-terrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world.”
Tanker Headed to Texas
Two unnamed U.S. officials said the tanker was expected to dock in Galveston, Texas, and that the crew would be released upon arrival.
U.S. media also reported that the vessel had been en route to Cuba when it was seized, adding another layer of geopolitical tension to the unfolding situation.
Caracas Denounces ‘Criminal Naval Piracy’
Venezuela’s foreign ministry responded with outrage, saying it “strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes blatant theft and an act of international piracy.”
President Nicolas Maduro echoed that charge during remarks at a public event on Thursday.
“They kidnapped the crew, stole the ship and have inaugurated a new era, the era of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean,” Nicolas Maduro said.
“Venezuela will secure all ships to guarantee the free trade of its oil around the world,” he added.
Crackdown on Maduro Escalates
The tanker seizure is part of a broader U.S. campaign against Maduro. Washington has accused him of leading the alleged “Cartel of the Suns,” which it declared a “narco-terrorist” organization last month. Authorities have also offered a $50 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump told Politico that Maduro’s “days are numbered” and declined to rule out a U.S. ground invasion of Venezuela.
As legal documents remain heavily censored and rhetoric continues to escalate, the seizure has become a flashpoint in an already volatile standoff, one now unfolding on the open seas.
