Venezuela condemns second US Tanker interdiction as ‘criminal,’ vows legal action
Venezuela on Saturday sharply condemned the United States for stopping an oil tanker off its coast for the second time in less than two weeks , calling the move illegal, criminal and a violation of international law, as tensions between the two countries continue to escalate.
The reaction came hours after US forces, led by the Coast Guard with support from the Defense Department, halted a crude oil tanker near Venezuela in a pre-dawn operation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed the boarding, saying the vessel named Centuries and flying the Panamanian flag had recently docked in Venezuela. She said the ship stopped voluntarily in what US officials described as a “consented boarding.”
This marks the second such US action in under two weeks , following the December 10 seizure of another tanker, Skipper , off Venezuela’s coast. Both incidents come after President Donald Trump announced a “blockade” of oil tankers traveling to or from Venezuela that are subject to American sanctions.
In a strongly worded statement, Venezuela’s government denounced the latest interdiction as “the theft and hijacking of another private vessel transporting Venezuelan oil,” accusing US military personnel of operating in international waters. Caracas also alleged the “enforced disappearance” of the tanker’s crew .
“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela categorically rejects and condemns these criminal actions,” the statement said, adding that the country will not allow the incident to “go unpunished.” Venezuela said it will pursue international legal avenues , including filing complaints with the United Nations Security Council .
US officials said the operation was part of efforts to curb the illicit movement of sanctioned oil, which Washington claims helps fund narcotics trafficking. Noem said the United States would continue to pursue vessels linked to sanctioned oil trade, warning, “We will find you, and we will stop you.”
The Pentagon and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The repeated tanker interdictions are part of a broader pressure campaign by the Trump administration against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Trump has accused Maduro of narcoterrorism and has warned that his days in power are numbered. The US president has also demanded that Venezuela return assets seized from American oil companies years ago, citing those disputes as justification for the blockade.
US oil companies once dominated Venezuela’s petroleum sector before it was nationalised, first in the 1970s and later under former president Hugo Chávez and Maduro. Compensation disputes followed, and in 2014 an international arbitration panel ordered Venezuela to pay USD 1.6 billion to ExxonMobil.
The tanker actions coincide with a significant US military buildup in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The Trump administration has also ordered strikes on vessels it alleges are smuggling drugs, a campaign that has drawn criticism from lawmakers and human rights groups over civilian deaths and lack of transparency.
Venezuela has repeatedly insisted that the real aim of the US operations is to force Maduro from power , an allegation Washington denies. However, Trump and senior aides have openly signaled that pressure on Caracas will continue.
With the second tanker stopped in less than two weeks , diplomatic tensions between Washington and Caracas appear set to deepen further.