Trump confirms U.S. seizure of oil vessel off Venezuela, says 'other things are happening'
CBC
The U.S. has seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, a move that sent oil prices higher and sharply escalated tensions between Washington and Caracas.
"We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually, and other things are happening," Trump said, who has been pressuring Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to step down.
Trump did not offer additional details. Asked what would happen with the oil, he said: "We keep it, I guess."
Trump has repeatedly raised the possibility of U.S. military intervention in Venezuela. This incident was the first known action against an oil tanker since he ordered a massive military buildup in the region.
The U.S. has carried out strikes against suspected drug vessels, which raised concerns among lawmakers and legal experts.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on social media platform X that the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard, along with support from the U.S. military, carried out a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
A 45-second video posted by Bondi showed two helicopters approaching a vessel and armed individuals in camouflage rappelling onto it.
Venezuela's government said in a statement that the seizure "constitutes a blatant theft and an act of international piracy."
"Under these circumstances, the true reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela have finally been revealed.... It has always been about our natural resources, our oil, our energy, the resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people," the statement said.
Trump administration officials did not name the vessel.
British maritime risk management group Vanguard said the tanker Skipper was believed to have been seized off Venezuela early on Wednesday. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the tanker for what Washington said was involvement in Iranian oil trading when it was called the Adisa.
CBS News also identified the Skipper as the tanker that was seized.
The Skipper left Venezuela's main oil port José between Dec. 4 and 5 after loading Venezuela's Merey heavy crude, according to satellite information analyzed by TankerTrackers.com and internal shipping data from PDVSA, the state-run oil company.
Oil futures rose following news of the seizure. After trading in negative territory, Global Brent crude futures rose 27 cents, or 0.4 per cent, to settle at $62.21 US a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures gained 21 cents, also 0.4 per cent, to close at $58.46 US per barrel.
