The pursuit and seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers intensified in the last few weeks, as the Trump Administration expanded its pressure campaign against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

U.S. officials say the latest actions underscore a broader strategy aimed at disrupting what Washington describes as illegal oil trafficking and sanctions evasion linked to Caracas.

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U.S. Coast Guard pursues third vessel in a week

A U.S. official confirmed to CBS News that the U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday was pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker in international waters off the coast of Venezuela. The operation marks the second such pursuit over the weekend and the third in less than a week, signaling a sharp escalation in enforcement activity against Venezuelan oil tankers under the Trump Administration.

According to the official, the vessel is part of a so-called “dark fleet” allegedly used to bypass international sanctions. “It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order,” the official said.
(Source: CBS News – https://www.cbsnews.com)

Reuters first reported the pursuit, noting that U.S. officials declined to identify the vessel or disclose its precise location, citing operational sensitivities.
(Source: Reuters – https://www.reuters.com)

Earlier seizures raise diplomatic tensions

The latest pursuit follows a series of recent interdictions. On December 11, U.S. authorities seized an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, a move first reported by Bloomberg. President Donald Trump publicly confirmed the seizure during a White House roundtable, stating the vessel was “seized for a very good reason” and adding that he assumed the United States would keep the oil.
(Source: Bloomberg – https://www.bloomberg.com)

In a pre-dawn operation Saturday, the Coast Guard also seized the Panama-flagged vessel Centuries. White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly described it on social media as “a falsely flagged vessel operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet to traffic stolen oil and fund the narco-terrorist Maduro regime.”

Venezuela condemns actions as “piracy”

The Venezuelan government strongly condemned the seizure, calling it a “serious act of piracy.” In an official statement, Caracas warned that “these acts will not go unpunished” and said it would pursue complaints before the United Nations Security Council and other multilateral bodies.
(UN reference: https://www.un.org)

“The colonialist model that the U.S. government seeks to impose through such practices will fail and be defeated by the Venezuelan people,” the statement added.

Economic impact and broader enforcement strategy

Despite concerns about energy markets, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett downplayed potential fallout. Speaking on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan, Hassett said the seized ships were operating on the black market. “I don’t think that people need to be worried here in the U.S. that the prices are going to go up,” he said. “There’s just a couple of them, and they were black market ships.”
(Program site: https://www.cbsnews.com/face-the-nation)

The targeting of Venezuelan oil tankers also coincides with a broader Trump Administration directive ordering the Defense Department to strike vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific accused of smuggling fentanyl and other illicit drugs. U.S. officials say at least 104 people have been killed in 28 known strikes since early September, underscoring the administration’s increasingly aggressive maritime enforcement posture.