Caracas/Washington, December 21, 2025 – The United States Coast Guard, supported by military helicopters, interdicted and boarded the Panama-flagged oil tanker Centuries in international waters east of Barbados on December 20, marking the second such operation this month as President Donald Trump intensifies pressure on Venezuela’s oil sector.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the pre-dawn operation on social media, releasing video footage showing U.S. personnel rappelling onto the vessel’s deck. “The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco-terrorism in the region,” Noem stated. “We will find you, and we will stop you.”
The Centuries, which had loaded approximately 1.8 to 2 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey-16 crude at the José Terminal between December 7 and 11, was not itself on the U.S. Treasury’s public sanctions list, according to multiple reports and maritime tracking data. However, U.S. officials described the cargo as “sanctioned oil” from state-owned PDVSA, alleging the vessel was part of a “shadow fleet” using false flags to evade restrictions.
This action follows President Trump’s December 16 announcement of a “total and complete blockade” on all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, aimed at cutting revenue to the government of President Nicolás Maduro, whom the U.S. accuses of supporting drug trafficking and other illicit activities.
The interdiction comes just ten days after U.S. forces seized the sanctioned tanker Skipper on December 10, a vessel previously linked to Iranian oil smuggling. That operation involved a federal seizure warrant, and the ship was taken to a U.S. port.
Venezuela swiftly condemned the latest move as an “act of international piracy.” Senior official Diosdado Cabello denounced the “theft and hijacking of a new private vessel transporting Venezuelan oil,” along with the “forced disappearance of its crew,” vowing to file a complaint with the United Nations.
The seizures have created an effective de facto embargo, with dozens of loaded tankers—many carrying millions of barrels—remaining anchored in Venezuelan waters to avoid potential U.S. action. TankerTrackers.com data indicates over 70 vessels in the area are part of shadow fleets, with around 38 under direct U.S. sanctions.
Analysts note that Venezuela’s oil exports, primarily to China and other Asian markets, have sharply declined amid the operations and ongoing U.S. sanctions imposed since 2019. The country relies heavily on oil revenue despite possessing the world’s largest proven reserves.
As tensions rise with a significant U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, the future of the Centuries and its cargo remains unclear, with no immediate confirmation of a full seizure warrant.
Clarion Newschannel – Reporting the facts that matter.
U.S. Coast Guard Seizes Second Oil Tanker Carrying Venezuelan Crude in Escalating Blockade
