WASHINGTON — In a pre-dawn operation on Saturday, December 20, 2025, United States forces seized a second merchant vessel carrying Venezuelan oil in international waters. The interception of the Panama-flagged tanker Centuries follows a similar high-stakes seizure just ten days ago and signals a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s newly declared “total and complete blockade” of Venezuelan energy exports.
The Operation
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed the action via social media, sharing footage of helicopters surrounding the vessel east of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea. The U.S. Coast Guard led the operation with support from the Department of Defense.
According to maritime risk management firm Vanguard, the Centuries had recently departed from Venezuela and was reportedly carrying approximately 1.8 million barrels of Merey crude oil destined for China. Internal documents from Venezuela’s state-run oil company, PDVSA, suggest the vessel had been operating under the alias “Crag” to evade detection.
A Growing Blockade
This latest seizure comes only days after President Donald Trump ordered a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. While the first vessel seized on December 10, the Skipper, was already on a U.S. sanctions list for ties to Iranian oil smuggling, experts note that the Centuries does not appear to have been previously sanctioned.
“The seizure of a vessel that is not sanctioned by the U.S. marks a further increase in pressure,” said Jeremy Paner, a former U.S. sanctions investigator. “It suggests the administration is expanding its scope to any vessel participating in the Venezuelan oil trade.”
International Fallout and War Fears
The Venezuelan government has denounced the move as “international piracy” and “blatant theft.” In a statement, the Maduro administration accused the United States of “forced disappearance” of the ship’s crew and vowed to take the matter to the United Nations Security Council.
The aggressive maritime stance has sparked domestic concern as well. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) expressed worry that the administration is “sleepwalking into a war with Venezuela,” while Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) remarked that the blockade “sounds a lot like the beginning of a war.”
As of Saturday evening, the Centuries is being escorted to a U.S. port for a formal forfeiture process. The White House has maintained that the seizures are necessary to cut off funding for “narco-terrorism” in the region.
Sources
- The Guardian: US intercepts second merchant vessel off coast of Venezuela in international waters
- The Jerusalem Post: US seizes ship off of Venezuelan coast
- CBS News: U.S. seizes a second vessel off the coast of Venezuela
- Wikipedia: United States seizure of the oil tanker Skipper
- CBC News: U.S. says it has seized yet another oil tanker near Venezuela’s coast
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