US Seizes Sanctioned Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast
In a significant enforcement action, the United States Coast Guard seized an oil tanker, Skipper, approximately 70 miles off the Venezuelan coast this week. The vessel had spent years evading detection, frequently changing its name, flag, and disappearing from tracking systems before being intercepted by armed US personnel who descended from helicopters.
The Skipper’s Undercover Operations
For the past two years, Skipper has been linked to shipments of oil originating from countries under US sanctions, notably Venezuela and Iran. Monitoring firm TankerTrackers.com estimates that the tanker has facilitated the transportation of nearly 13 million barrels of oil from these regions since 2021. Although the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control placed Skipper on its sanctions list in 2022 under its former name, Adisa, this has not deterred its operations.
- Recent imagery shows Skipper at the Jose Oil Export Terminal in mid-November 2025, where it loaded over one million barrels of oil.
- The tanker left the terminal between December 4 and 5, and soon after conducted a ship-to-ship transfer of cargo with another vessel, further obscuring its operations.
Use of Evasive Tactics
Skipper employed tactics such as turning off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) to hide its location, allowing it to conduct illicit ship-to-ship transfers. During its intercept, the tanker had falsified its position to mislead tracking efforts, claiming to be over 400 miles away from its actual coordinates.
Dimitris Ampatzidis, a senior risk and compliance manager at Kpler, indicated that tankers like Skipper can manipulate AIS data, sending out false signals to obscure their real movements. This deception poses significant safety risks on the seas, leading to concerns over maritime security.
Regional Implications
As of mid-December 2025, analysis reveals that around 30 sanctioned tankers are still operating in Venezuelan waters. The seizure signals an escalation in US efforts to apply pressure on the Venezuelan government under President Nicolas Maduro, coinciding with a notable increase in US military presence in the region.
Background
This operation by the US Coast Guard is unprecedented and forms part of a broader strategy that includes military responses to alleged drug smuggling activities in Caribbean waters. Previous sanctions on vessels like Skipper have often gone unenforced, making this seizure a significant message to other vessels operating illegally in close proximity to US waters.
As identified by analysts, the implications of this incident could lead to heightened scrutiny for other vessels involved in illicit activities, signalling that such tactics will not go unnoticed. The ongoing enforcement actions underscore a growing commitment by the US to maintain control over maritime operations linked to sanctioned regions.
Source: Original Article
