Overview
- President Donald Trump announced the interdiction and said he assumes the United States will keep the oil aboard the vessel.
- Attorney General Pam Bondi said the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Coast Guard executed the seizure warrant with military support.
- Multiple outlets identified the ship as the Skipper, previously sanctioned and known as the M/T Adisa, which ship‑tracking shows linked to illicit oil networks and false‑flag practices.
- U.S. officials said the operation was planned, met no resistance and resulted in no casualties, and reporting indicates the tanker was carrying Venezuelan crude.
- Caracas condemned the action as piracy as analysts warned it could deter carriers from lifting Venezuelan oil and sway global market sentiment, following recent U.S. overflights and the broader Operation Lanza del Sur deployment.