According to a protected source cited by ‘Bloomberg’, the ship was transporting Venezuelan crude oil to Cuba.
MIAMI, United States. – Washington seized a “very large” oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, confirmed this Wednesday the president of the United States, Donald Trump, in statements made at an event at the White House. The president assured that it is the largest ship of this type seized by his government.
“As you probably know, we just seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, a big tanker, a very big tanker, actually the largest tanker ever seized,” Trump said, adding that “it was seized for a very good reason.”
According to a protected source cited by Bloombergthe ship was transporting Venezuelan crude oil to Cuba, where the state-owned Cubametales would have planned to sell the cargo to Asian intermediaries.
US authorities have not released the identity of the ship or details about its flag, tonnage or the volume of crude oil transported. The White House also did not specify which federal agency carried out the operation, although both Reuters as AP They cite officials who point out that the operation was part of strengthening pressure against the Nicolás Maduro regime.
The announcement occurs amid an escalation of Washington’s actions against Caracas. Trump’s statements at the White House came two days after an interview in which the president did not rule out sending troops to Venezuela and accused the Maduro regime of exporting drugs and criminals to the United States.
Press reports also indicate that the Cuban Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for reaction following the announcement, while attempts to contact the state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) were unsuccessful.
Matt Smith, chief oil analyst at Kpler, said to POLITICAL that the seized vessel “was not commercially traceable and probably had its automatic identification system turned off,” a common method of so-called shadow tankers that transport Venezuelan crude oil to Asian markets.
Energy specialist Jorge León, senior vice president and head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, also told POLITICAL that the action represents “a clear escalation from financial sanctions to physical interdiction — raises the stakes for Caracas and for anyone who facilitates its exports.” He added that this type of measure introduces “a geopolitical floor to prices,” given that even small volumes can move market sentiment when there is risk in strategic maritime routes.
The price of US crude oil rose about 1% after the news, settling just below $59 per barrel, according to reports. During his appearance, Trump insisted that domestic gasoline prices had dropped to $1.99 per gallon.
For his part, David Goldwyn, a former State Department official and president of Goldwyn Global Strategies, warned that the impact on Venezuelan exports could be limited if the ship was already included on the Treasury Department’s list of sanctioned entities. Goldwyn noted that China’s trade “does not typically take place with sanctioned vessels” and that Venezuelan exports will likely continue unless the United States decides to intercept all vessels carrying crude oil from the South American country.
The Chevron company, the only American producer that still operates in Venezuela, assured that its activities have not been affected. Its spokesman, Bill Turenne, stated that operations “continue without interruption and in full compliance with the laws and regulations applicable to its business,” referring questions about security to the US government.
