The United States Coast Guard is actively pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea, a senior US official confirmed on Sunday, 21 December 2025. This marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration's efforts to disrupt Venezuela's so-called 'shadow fleet' of vessels used to circumvent international sanctions.
Intensifying Pressure on Caracas
The pursuit, confirmed by an anonymous US official briefed on the operation, follows the dramatic seizure of a separate tanker just one day earlier. According to the official, the vessel currently being tracked is a "sanctioned dark fleet vessel" involved in "Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion." The ship was reportedly flying a false flag and is subject to a judicial seizure order.
This latest maritime action underscores Washington's hardening stance towards the government of Nicolás Maduro. The operation comes less than two weeks after the US Coast Guard, with Navy support, seized the tanker Skipper on 10 December. That vessel, part of the same shadow network, was not flying any national flag when intercepted.
A Pattern of Seizures and a 'Blockade' Threat
The recent campaign began in earnest with the predawn seizure on Saturday of a Panama-flagged tanker named Centuries. The White House labelled it a "falsely flagged vessel operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet to traffic stolen oil."
Following the initial seizure of the Skipper, President Trump vowed the US would enact a "blockade" of Venezuela. He has since ramped up rhetoric against Maduro, warning the leader's "days in power are numbered." This past week, Trump explicitly linked the pressure campaign to demands for Venezuela to return assets seized from US oil companies years ago, framing the maritime actions as justified retaliation.
An international arbitration panel ordered Venezuela to pay $1.6 billion to ExxonMobil in 2014 after the nationalisation of its oil industry, a debt that remains a core grievance for Washington.
Broader Context: Drugs, Oil, and Escalation
The crackdown on tankers is occurring alongside a separate but parallel military operation. President Trump has ordered the Defence Department to execute strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific suspected of smuggling fentanyl and other drugs. Since early September, these strikes have resulted in at least 104 casualties across 28 known incidents.
The combined pressure is already altering shipping patterns, with some sanctioned tankers now diverting away from Venezuelan waters. The administration's moves appear motivated by a mix of disputes over historic oil investments, accusations of drug trafficking, and a broader political objective to dislodge Maduro's socialist government.
As the US Coast Guard continues its pursuit, the situation in the Caribbean points towards a potentially prolonged period of heightened naval enforcement and geopolitical tension.
