A US Coast Guard special operations team has seized the VLCC Skipper in a high-risk boarding operation off Venezuela.
Washington describes the action as a strike against a sanctioned oil-shipping network linked to Iran, Venezuela, Hezbollah and the IRGC-QF.
Footage released by US authorities shows MSRT operators fast-roping from helicopters onto the 333-metre tanker, supported by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Defense.
According to the BBC, the vessel had reportedly departed the José Terminal with up to 1.8 million barrels of heavy crude shortly before the interdiction.
The Skipper — a 20-year-old VLCC previously operating as Toyo and Adisa — has long been designated under US sanctions and is considered part of the “dark fleet”, with maritime intelligence firms noting persistent AIS spoofing and identity obfuscation.
Guyana’s Maritime Administration confirmed the ship was falsely flying the Guyana flag at the time of the seizure.
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The BBC reported that the cargo could be worth more than $95 million, although the exact volume has not been verified.
President Trump suggested the oil will be retained by the US government. The operation forms part of an expanded US maritime pressure campaign in the Caribbean, supported by major naval assets including the USS Gerald R. Ford.
Since September, US forces have conducted more than 20 actions against vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking and sanctions evasion.
Venezuela has condemned the seizure as “international piracy”, while analysts note rising geopolitical, legal and operational risks for tankers operating near sanctioned trade hubs and within dark-fleet networks.
In October, China intensified its maritime dispute with the US by introducing reciprocal levies targeting the capital markets.
For more information:
US Coast Guard – https://www.uscg.mil/
