Overview
- President Donald Trump announced the capture of a very large crude carrier after it left a Venezuelan port on Wednesday, calling it the largest tanker ever seized.
- U.S. officials said the Coast Guard-led team launched at about 6 a.m. using two helicopters and included special operations personnel, 10 Coast Guardsmen and 10 Marines.
- Attorney General Pam Bondi released a 45‑second video and said FBI and Homeland Security Investigations executed a seizure warrant with Defense Department support for a ship used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
- Risk analysts identified the vessel as The Skipper (formerly Adisa), a 20‑year‑old VLCC sanctioned by Treasury in 2022 over an oil network benefiting the IRGC and Hezbollah and linked to Russian owner Viktor Artemov, part of the so‑called shadow fleet.
- Venezuela condemned the move as “blatant theft” and “international piracy,” while shipping data firms flagged more than 30 sanctioned tankers near its coast as at risk, and oil prices ticked up roughly 0.4% as some exporters reassessed sailings.