Washington, D.C. – December 11, 2025 President Donald Trump’s administration has seized a massive Venezuelan oil tanker off the country’s coast in a high-seas operation dubbed “international piracy” by Caracas, marking a dramatic escalation in the U.S. pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
Trump confirmed the raid Wednesday, boasting it was the “largest one ever seized” and hinting the U.S. would keep the cargo, amid a buildup of American forces in the Caribbean that’s already included deadly strikes on drug boats. With crude prices jumping 1.3% ($75 cents per barrel) on sanction fears, this tanker grab—carrying 1.8 million barrels of sanctioned Merey heavy crude bound for Cuba—has ignited X outrage (#TrumpPiracy trending with 250K+ mentions) and UN complaints from Venezuela, blending economic warfare with whispers of regime-change brinkmanship.
The Raid: Coast Guard Fast-Ropes Onto ‘Ghost Tanker’ Skipper
The operation, executed Tuesday night by the U.S. Coast Guard, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations—with Pentagon backup from the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group—targeted the VLCC (very large crude carrier) Skipper (formerly Adisa), a sanctioned vessel flagged for illicit Iranian-Venezuelan oil trades. No shots fired, no casualties: Fast-roping teams boarded in international waters after the ship broadcast falsified locations to evade trackers, per satellite analysis.
Attorney General Pam Bondi released helmet-cam footage on X, showing armed agents securing the deck: “For multiple years, this tanker has been sanctioned… supporting foreign terrorist organizations.” Trump, during a White House roundtable, quipped: “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela—a large tanker, very large… We keep it, I guess.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem framed it as anti-drug: “Pushing back on a regime flooding our country with deadly drugs.” But insiders whisper more seizures loom, part of “Operation Southern Spear” to choke Maduro’s $1 billion oil lifeline.
The Skipper loaded at Venezuela’s Jose terminal December 4-5, half its cargo earmarked for Cuba’s state importer amid Havana’s blackout crisis. Venezuela’s PDVSA (state oil firm) confirmed the hit, vowing appeals to “all international bodies.”
Caracas Condemns ‘Barefaced Robbery’: Piracy Claims and UN Showdown
Maduro’s government erupted: “A blatant theft and act of international piracy… always about our natural resources, our oil.” Foreign Minister Yván Gil decried “economic terrorism,” tying it to U.S. asset freezes (e.g., CITGO seizure) and 87 deaths from prior Caribbean boat strikes. Opposition leader María Corina Machado, fresh from exile in Oslo (Nobel Peace Prize proxy accepted by her daughter), called Trump’s moves “decisive” against Maduro’s “oppressive government.”
X is ablaze: @AdameMedia’s clip of Trump’s boast hit 7K likes, slamming it as “pure evil” starving Cuba. @MaxBlumenthal (9K likes): “Act of financial terrorism… worsening Cuba’s blackout.” Pro-Trump: @RepGregSteube (900 likes): “Democrats more outraged at drug boats than traffickers killing 800K Americans.” @CalltoActivism (36K likes): “Piracy is his foreign policy? Unhinged.”
Broader Stakes: Oil Jitters, Midterm Flex, and War Whispers
This isn’t isolated: Trump’s Caribbean buildup (warships, jets overflying Venezuelan airspace) echoes his first-term saber-rattling, with Politico noting Maduro’s “days are numbered.” Analysts: It’s regime-change theater for Florida’s Cuban-Americans ahead of 2026 midterms, but risks spiking global oil (Venezuela’s 1M bpd mostly to China). Dems like Sen. Chris Van Hollen: “Trump’s sleepwalking us into war.” GOP hawk Ted Cruz deflected: “Saving American lives from smugglers.”
For Venezuela (world’s largest reserves), it’s existential—exports fund basics amid sanctions. Cuba? Blackouts worsen sans fuel. As @Codepink blasted (600 likes): “21st-century piracy… Zone of Peace, not U.S. playground.” Trump’s “keep the oil” quip? Echoes 2019’s Syrian misstep, but here it’s unfiltered bravado.
This seizure isn’t just a tanker—it’s a tinderbox. With more ops teased, will it topple Maduro or torch alliances? X polls lean “Escalation to War” (62%), but MAGA memes hail “Pirate Trump.” Stay tuned—Caribbean calm just cracked.
References
- The New York Times. “Trump Says U.S. Seized Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast.” Dec. 10, 2025. Link
- Reuters. “US seizes sanctioned oil tanker off coast of Venezuela, Trump says.” Dec. 11, 2025. Link
- NPR. “Trump says the U.S. has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.” Dec. 10, 2025. Link
- CBS News. “U.S. seizes oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, escalating tensions.” Dec. 11, 2025. Link
- The Guardian. “US lawmakers condemn seizure of Venezuelan oil tanker: ‘Trump is sleepwalking us into a war’.” Dec. 11, 2025. Link
- CNBC. “Trump says U.S. seized oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.” Dec. 10, 2025. Link
- NBC News. “Noem says Coast Guard-led tanker seizure near Venezuela was ordered by Trump to combat drug trafficking.” Dec. 11, 2025. Link
- CNN. “December 11, 2025 – Machado calls Trump’s actions ‘decisive’ after US seizes oil tanker.” Dec. 11, 2025. Link
- The Guardian. “What we know about the oil tanker seized by the US off the Venezuela coast.” Dec. 11, 2025. Link
- The Washington Post. “U.S. seizes ‘very large’ oil tanker off Venezuelan coast, Trump says.” Dec. 11, 2025. Link
- CNN. “US seizes oil tanker off Venezuelan coast.” Dec. 10, 2025. Link
- POLITICO. “US seizes Cuba-bound Venezuelan oil tanker, ramping up pressure on Maduro.” Dec. 10, 2025. Link
- ABC News. “US seizes oil tanker off coast of Venezuela, Donald Trump says.” Dec. 10, 2025. Link
- CBC News. “Trump confirms U.S. seizure of oil vessel off Venezuela, says ‘other things are happening’.” Dec. 10, 2025. Link
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