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United States forces have intercepted an oil tanker suspected of carrying Venezuelan crude subject to U.S. sanctions, marking the second such interdiction in two weeks as tensions between Washington and Caracas continue to escalate.
“In a pre-dawn action early this morning on Dec. 20, the U.S. Coast Guard, with the support of the Department of War, apprehended an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on X.
The post included aerial footage showing a helicopter hovering above the deck of a large tanker at sea. The Department of Homeland Security identified the vessel as the Centuries, saying it was “suspected of carrying oil subject to U.S. sanctions.”
The Centuries is a Chinese-owned, Panama-flagged tanker, according to TankerTrackers, which monitors global oil shipments.
The service said the vessel loaded about 1.8 million barrels of crude at a Venezuelan port earlier this month before being escorted out of Venezuela’s exclusive economic zone on Dec. 18. VesselFinder data showed its last recorded position off the Venezuelan coast.
An Agence France-Presse (AFP) review found that the Centuries does not appear on the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of sanctioned entities. White House deputy spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the tanker was carrying “sanctioned PDVSA oil,” referring to Venezuela’s state-run oil company, and accused the ship of operating as part of a “Venezuelan shadow fleet” under a false flag.
Venezuela denounced the interception as theft and kidnapping, saying, “Those responsible for these serious events will answer to justice and to history for their criminal conduct.”
The incident comes days after President Donald Trump announced a “total and complete blockade” of oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela that are deemed to be violating U.S. sanctions.
The standoff intensified on Dec. 10, when U.S. forces seized another tanker near Venezuela’s coast, an action Caracas condemned as “international piracy.”
Washington says the measures are aimed at combating corruption and drug trafficking. Venezuelan authorities accuse the United States of using anti-narcotics operations as a pretext to undermine President Nicolas Maduro and gain control over the country’s oil resources.
The United States has steadily increased its military presence in the Caribbean in recent months, citing efforts to counter drug trafficking. There are currently 11 U.S. warships deployed in the region, including an aircraft carrier, amphibious assault vessels, cruisers and destroyers.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said Caracas would not be intimidated.
“We are waging a battle against lies, manipulation, interference, military threats and psychological warfare,” he said at a public event broadcast on state television.
Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said Iran, one of Venezuela’s closest allies, is offering support “in all areas” to counter what he described as U.S. “piracy and international terrorism.”
The latest tanker interception came as South American leaders met at a Mercosur summit, where Venezuela’s suspension from the bloc and rising regional tensions overshadowed talks on a potential trade agreement with the European Union.
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