The United States has successfully seized a 20-year-old oil tanker named The Skipper from the coast of Venezuela, as confirmed by sources close to the situation. This significant operation took place on Wednesday amidst escalating tensions between the Trump administration and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The seizure was brought to light by President Trump during an unrelated event at the White House.
The operation to seize The Skipper commenced early Wednesday morning, shortly after the tanker departed from a Venezuelan port. According to a senior military official, the mission was launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford, an aircraft carrier that has been stationed in the region for several weeks as part of a larger buildup of U.S. forces. The operation involved two helicopters, a team of special operations forces, ten members of the U.S. Coast Guard, and ten Marines.
The boarding team consisted of the Coast Guard's Maritime Security and Response Team, an elite maritime interdiction unit based in Chesapeake, Virginia. Attorney General Pam Bondi shared a 45-second video on social media platform X, showcasing armed personnel descending onto the vessel’s deck from a helicopter. She stated that the U.S. executed a seizure warrant on the tanker due to its involvement in transporting sanctioned oil from both Venezuela and Iran.
While the U.S. government, particularly the Justice Department and Homeland Security Investigations, has previously seized sanctioned oil tankers, the method employed in this operation is quite rare. Conducting a fast-rope boarding from helicopters at sea is not common practice, although officials noted that the boarding team is trained for such scenarios. The operation was led by the Coast Guard, with Navy forces providing support, as required by legal jurisdiction for such seizures.
The Skipper was placed under sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2022 due to its alleged involvement in an oil smuggling network that financially supported the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Formerly known as Adisa in 2022, the tanker is associated with sanctioned Russian oil magnate Viktor Artemov, who was reported to utilize a complex network of vessels to evade U.S. restrictions on Iranian petroleum exports.
Although the Treasury's sanctions announcement did not specifically mention Venezuela, it highlighted long-standing concerns regarding oil networks involving both Iran and Venezuela. These two nations, major petroleum producers with vast oil reserves, face heavy restrictions from U.S. sanctions.
The Skipper is managed by Nigerian-based Thomarose Global Ventures LTD and owned by a firm linked to Artemov, based on publicly available records. This tanker, initially named The Toyo when it was built in 2005, measures 333 meters (approximately 1,092 feet) in length, making it one of the largest tankers at the time of its construction.
Attorney General Bondi emphasized that The Skipper was sanctioned due to its role in an illicit oil shipping network that supports foreign terrorist organizations. She assured that this seizure, conducted off the coast of Venezuela, was executed safely and securely, and that investigations alongside the Department of Homeland Security will continue to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil.
In response to the seizure, the Venezuelan government has issued a statement strongly condemning the action as a "shameless robbery" and an act of "international piracy." This statement underscores the ongoing tensions and complexities surrounding U.S. involvement in Venezuelan affairs and the broader implications for international relations.