Tensions escalated dramatically in the Caribbean Sea as United States Coast Guard vessels initiated pursuit of a third sanctioned oil tanker in international waters off Venezuela’s coast on Sunday evening. This latest maritime intervention represents the most aggressive enforcement action to date in Washington’s ongoing campaign against Caracas.
According to an unnamed US official, the targeted vessel constitutes part of Venezuela’s ‘sanctioned dark fleet’ allegedly engaged in illegal sanctions evasion operations. ‘It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order,’ the official stated, justifying the interception under US judicial authority.
The operation follows two previous tanker seizures this month—the first on December 10th and another on Saturday—with all three vessels allegedly transporting oil subject to American sanctions. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem declared the US would persist in pursuing ‘illicit movement of sanctioned oil that funds narco-terrorism,’ vowing that authorities would ‘find you and stop you.’
Venezuela’s government issued scathing condemnation, labeling the interceptions ‘blatant theft and acts of international piracy’ in an official statement. Caracas specifically denounced the ‘enforced disappearance’ of crew members and warned that these actions ‘would not go unpunished.’
The escalating maritime confrontations occur alongside substantial US military buildup in the region, including 15,000 personnel and eleven warships—among them the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford—creating what President Trump described as ‘the largest Armada ever assembled in South American history.’
While Trump declined to explicitly state whether regime change represents his objective, he remarked that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro ‘knows exactly what I want.’ The president previously ordered a comprehensive blockade against sanctioned tankers traveling to or from Venezuela.
International concern mounted as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warned that armed intervention would create ‘a humanitarian catastrophe for the hemisphere and a dangerous precedent for the world.’ Regional organizations and Latin American nations have urged United Nations intervention and diplomatic resolution.
The geopolitical confrontation centers on Venezuela’s vast energy resources, including the world’s largest proven oil reserves. The first two seized tankers carried approximately one million barrels each, while numerous additional vessels remain anchored offshore, uncertain whether to risk seizure by attempting transit.
In parallel developments, US military operations have reportedly sunk 28 vessels since September in Caribbean and eastern Pacific waters, with authorities claiming they transported narcotics—actions resulting in over 100 fatalities.