- United States they intercepted and an oil tanker was seized sanctioned off the coast of Venezuela, an action that is seen as a sign of serious escalation of tensions between the two countries.
In this way the United States could make much more difficult for Venezuela export his crude, as other shippers will likely be more reluctant to load its cargoes.
Il Venezuelan government he called the kidnapping a “blatant theft” and a “act of piracy”, adding that the country would defended his sovereignty and its natural resources "with absolute determination”. Il Venezuela, a member of OPEC, holds the largest oil reserves in the world and last month exported about 586.000 barrels per day, mainly destined for ChinaTraders and industry sources say the Asian buyers they are asking deep discounts on Venezuelan crude oil, under pressure due to theIncrease in oil imports sanctioned by Russia and Iran and increased cargo risks in the South American country, while the United States strengthens its military presence in the Caribbean, reports Reuters.
Oil prices remain stable as they await developments in Ukraine.
Brent crude futures rose slightly following news of the seized oil tanker, before falling back. Investors are instead focusing on the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. This morning, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the visit to Moscow by US envoy Steve Witkoff this month had resolved misunderstandings between the two countries.
Brent crude futures fell 81 cents, or 1,3%, to $61,40 a barrel in late morning European trading, erasing a previous gain of 0,7%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 78 cents, or 1,3%, to $57,68 a barrel.
Meanwhile, theInternational Energy Agency revised upwards its global oil demand growth forecast for 2026 while cutting its supply growth forecast in its latest monthly oil market report released today, implying a slightly more limited surplus for the next year.
The US commando-style kidnapping called "fast roping"
"We just seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela—a huge, very large tanker, the largest ever seized, in fact," President Donald Trump said at the White House. "And other things are happening," Bloomberg reported.
Il United States Attorney General Pam Bondi has published a video on X which showed heavy armored forces descending onto the ship's deck from a Black Hawk helicopter, using a standard commando-style tactic called “fast roping.” “For several years, the tanker was sanctioned by the United States because of its involvement in a network of illicit transportation of oil that supports foreign terrorist organizations“, wrote Biondi. Caracas responded with a note that “the real reasons for the aggression against Venezuela have finally been revealed: it was always about our natural resources, the our oil".
Routes diverted to Cuba to make sales more difficult to trace
According to sources close to the matter and a Guyanese official, the nave was seized identified as the SkipperThe 20-year-old giant crude oil tanker, under its former name Adisa, was sanctioned by the United States in 2022 for supporting Iranian oil exports. The vessel is believed to be flagged to Guyana, but the country's maritime administration has denied any connection to the tanker.
A VLCC is a large vessel with a capacity to carry approximately 2 million barrels of oil. According to sources familiar with the situation, the United States had concluded that the vessel was headed to Cuba, Although it would be unusual for a vessel of that size to travel from Venezuela to Cuba, based on historical shipping patterns. U.S. officials have long suspected that the Venezuelan president's regime Nicolás Maduro sale illegally sanctioned crude oil through Cuba, to profit from it and make the sales more difficult to track.
The escalation between Washington and Caracas
The United States has stepped up its pressure on Maduro, accusing him of having presided over an operation of drug traffickingThe Pentagon has conducted more than 20 attacks on suspected drug trafficking vessels in waters near Venezuela and Colombia, killing more than 80 suspects. Trump has repeatedly suggested that the United States might strike from land and that Maduro's "days are numbered."
“The seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker by the United States represents a clear escalation from financial sanctions to physical interdiction: the stakes are rising for Caracas and anyone who facilitates its exports,” he said. Bloomberg Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, said: "According to Matthew Thomas, a partner at Blank Rome in Washington, specializing in international trade and maritime law, the U.S. move is likely to... discourage others from transporting Venezuelan crude oil. "Most traditional oil traffic has stayed away from Venezuela due to sanctions and rising tensions," he said. "But even for marginal shippers and suspicious fleets, the potential for asset seizures is an additional deterrent."
In recent months, Maduro has called on Venezuelan citizens to unite against what he called U.S. threats and to join the citizen militia. He has also deployed troops, ships, aircraft, and drones to the border with Venezuela. Colombia, in some coastal states and on one island.
Petroleos de Venezuela, the state-owned oil company, collaborates with a handful of international partners, including Chevron based in Houston, to drill in several parts of the country. Under the current agreement, Chevron receives a percentage of the oil produced by its joint ventures with PDVSA. A license issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury exempts the U.S. company from sanctions. Chevron has stated that its operations have not been interrupted by the seizure of the tanker. Yesterday, Chevron CEO Mike Wirth said in an interview with Bloomberg TV that his company is in discussions with the Trump administration about continuing to comply with sanctions on Venezuela.
