Overview
- President Trump confirmed the seizure and described the ship as the largest tanker ever taken, following the release of boarding footage by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
- Bondi said the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Coast Guard executed the warrant with military support as part of a probe into an illicit oil-shipping network.
- Venezuela condemned the action as “blatant theft” and “international piracy” and signaled it would take the dispute to international bodies.
- Oil prices edged higher after the news, and analysts cautioned the move could further deter shippers handling Venezuelan crude and constrain PDVSA exports.
- Maritime risk firms and trackers identified the vessel as the Skipper, formerly the Adisa, which had loaded heavy crude near the José terminal and reportedly conducted a partial transfer near Curaçao.