US Commandos Fast-Rope Onto, Seize Rogue Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast

U.S. seizure of oil tanker

U.S. forces carried out a helicopter-borne boarding and seized a very large oil tanker off Venezuela's coast in an operation led by the Coast Guard with multi-agency support. Authorities posted video showing commandos fast-roping from helicopters onto the ship's deck and taking control. President Trump called it "the largest one ever seized."

Multiple outlets identify the vessel as the Skipper (formerly Adisa) and report it was taken in international waters after loading Venezuelan crude. U.S. officials said the seizure was executed under a warrant and involved the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Coast Guard and Department of Defense support. The White House and Justice Department have characterized it as a law-enforcement forfeiture proceeding and said the oil will be subject to U.S. legal processes.

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Tanker seizure and tactics

U.S. officials and Attorney General Pam Bondi tied the seizure to long-standing U.S. sanctions and an illicit oil-shipping network. Authorities alleged the tanker carried sanctioned Venezuelan and Iranian crude and helped finance foreign terrorist organizations, and Bondi posted video of the boarding describing the operation as conducted 'safely and securely'. Tracking and open-source analysts reported the ship had disabled or spoofed its transponder and moved in ways consistent with 'dark fleet' tactics, behavior U.S. officials say helped mask the cargo's origin and destination.

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International reactions to seizure

Venezuela denounced the seizure as theft and 'international piracy.' President Nicolás Maduro and Caracas officials said the action was a bid by Washington to seize Venezuelan oil and alleged U.S. efforts at regime change. Moscow and Tehran voiced support for Caracas in some reports.

U.S. political reactions were mixed. The White House framed the move as enforcement of sanctions.

Some lawmakers supported the action. Other lawmakers and legal experts questioned its legal, diplomatic and escalation risks.

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Seizure targets Venezuela oil

Analysts and market reporters said the seizure is part of a stepped-up U.S. campaign to choke off oil revenues to Nicolás Maduro, targeting a so-called 'dark fleet' of vessels that obscure transfers. Experts say the move raises the costs and risks of shipping Venezuelan crude but is unlikely to immediately change global market fundamentals. The action briefly nudged oil futures higher, and sources report the tanker carried hundreds of thousands to millions of barrels of heavy Merey crude that had been loaded from Venezuela's José port days earlier.

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