Oil Tanker Seized by US Was Falsely Flying Guyana’s Flag, as More Action Is Expected Against Sanctioned Ships

Two days ago (10), U.S. forces intercepted and seized a sanctioned oil tanker in Caribbean waters near Venezuela, marking a significant escalation in operations aimed at pressuring the country’s socialist leadership. Until now, only limited details were available about the Nigerian-linked tanker Skipper, aside from its route between Venezuela and Cuba and its sanction status for transporting both Venezuelan and Iranian crude.

New information has emerged indicating that the vessel’s crew was operating under false credentials. Reuters reported that Guyana’s maritime authority discovered the tanker was improperly sailing under the Guyanese flag:

“Guyana’s maritime authority said on Wednesday that supertanker Skipper carrying Venezuelan oil, which was seized by the United States, was falsely flying Guyana’s flag.

‘The Maritime Administration Department has observed the proliferation and unacceptable trend of the unauthorized use of the Guyana flag by vessels that are not registered in Guyana,’ it said in a statement.”

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❗️MOMENT US seizes oil tanker off coast of Venezuela

Coast Guard rappel down off Black Hawks, STORM bridge

AG Bondi claims vessel ‘transported sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran’

Seizure ‘conducted safely and securely’@MTodayNews pic.twitter.com/hbET4uyMWQ

— MagaDet17 (@MagaDet17) December 10, 2025

Reports now suggest the United States is preparing to intercept additional vessels moving Venezuelan crude, further increasing pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s government.

A separate Reuters report added:

“The seizure was the first interdiction of an oil cargo or tanker from Venezuela, which has been under U.S. sanctions since 2019. It came as the U.S. executes a large-scale military buildup in the southern Caribbean and as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for Maduro’s ouster.

The latest U.S. action has put shipowners, operators and maritime agencies involved in transporting Venezuelan crude on alert, with many reconsidering whether to sail from Venezuelan waters in the coming days as planned, shipping sources said.

Further direct interventions by the U.S. are expected in the coming weeks targeting ships carrying Venezuelan oil that may also have transported oil from other countries targeted by U.S. sanctions, such as Iran, according to the sources familiar with the matter who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.”

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