What We Know About the Tanker Seized Off Venezuela

The United States seized a massive Venezuelan oil tanker in a dramatic helicopter raid, escalating tensions between the Trump administration and Nicolás Maduro’s government amid a growing U.S. military presence in the region.

According to U.S. officials, the ship—now named Skipper but previously sanctioned in 2022 as Adisa—was operating as a “shadow vessel,” allegedly carrying black-market oil for Iran’s IRGC while transmitting false locations to evade detection.

Marine Traffic and satellite imagery placed the tanker at Venezuela’s Jose port before its departure with more than 1.1 million barrels of crude, some destined for Cuba.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the vessel was seized under a judicial warrant, that its oil will be confiscated pending legal process, and that the action supports Trump’s sanctions and counter-narcotics operations.

Venezuela’s government condemned the move as “international piracy,” while analysts noted the operation’s unusual scale, the publication of Coast Guard raid footage, and the potential for higher shipping costs that could further strangle Venezuela’s struggling oil industry.