Trump's Venezuelan Oil Tanker Seizure May Not Be What It Seems

"The U.S. seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker has been described as a " significant," even " dramatic," escalation of President Donald Trump's campaign to pressure Nicolás Maduro, the country's dictator, out of office-but this isn't quite the case. The seizure might serve as part of a rationale for regime change, which Trump has been advocating, in part through aggressive rhetoric, in part by deploying military forces to the Caribbean, including more than 15,000 troops and a dozen warships, including an aircraft carrier."

"This same tanker, now called the VLCC Skipper, is the vessel that U.S. military forces seized in an operation jointly undertaken by the U.S. Coast Guard, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security. Satellite data showed the ship loading 1.1 million barrels of sanctioned crude from Venezuela's José terminal. Some reports say it was headed to Cuba, another country under sanction."

"In other words, it's not out of the question that the U.S. might have carried out this operation even if Trump hadn't been making noises about invading Venezuela or sending a flotilla of warships to make the threat seem real. According to some reports, the people running the ship were trying to conceal its identity and purpose, having registered it under a false flag and spoofing its radar signatures. This is a common practice of Venezuela's "dark-fleet" tankers engaging in illi"

The U.S. seized a Venezuelan oil tanker linked to past sanctions and alleged illicit transfers. The tanker was sanctioned in 2022 as the Adisa for trading oil with Iran and later renamed VLCC Skipper. Satellite and maritime data indicated it loaded about 1.1 million barrels at Venezuela's José terminal, showed prior presence in an Iranian port, and had signals suggesting a voyage toward Cuba. The operation involved the U.S. Coast Guard, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security. Ship operators reportedly used false registration and radar-spoofing, tactics associated with Venezuela's "dark-fleet." The seizure continues a years-long pattern of maritime confrontations amid pressure on Maduro.

Read at Slate Magazine