US EditionTrump Targets Maduro’s Financial Lifeline with Oil Tanker Seizure
The US seized a Cuba-bound tanker valued at up to $100 million and sanctioned six shipping firms to disrupt Venezuelan oil exports and enforce the embargo.
- On Thursday the US Treasury sanctioned six companies and identified six vessels as `blocked property` while United States forces seized The Skipper, a Cuba-bound tanker, which the US says it intends to keep.
- To evade sanctions, Caracas relied on ghost tankers that sail under false flags or switch off transponders, while clients often paid in cryptocurrencies like USDT, worsening dollar shortages.
- Ship-Tracking platform MarineTraffic estimated about 1.1 million barrels were seized, with Nicolás Maduro, President of Venezuela claiming 1.9 million, and the cargo valued between $50 million and $100 million; analysts warned this could raise risk premiums and deepen discounts for buyers.
- The seizure puts Caracas' limited oil income at risk and raises fears of renewed shortages and hyperinflation, while China, buying 80 percent of production, faces increased pressure.
- OPEC estimates Venezuela has about 303 billion barrels of reserves, and years of mismanagement cut output from more than three million barrels per day to 350,000, with one million as this year's difficult target.
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37 Articles
Blackburn Defends Seizure of Venezuelan Oil Tanker: 'Enforcing Sanctions'
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) defended the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker, contending that President Donald Trump is totally within his right on this and that the United States is simply enforcing sanctions. The post Exclusive – Marsha Blackburn Defends Seizure of Venezuelan Oil Tanker: ‘We’re Enforcing Sanctions’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Trump targets Maduro's financial lifeline with oil tanker seizure
President Trump is ratcheting up pressure against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, targeting his financial lifeline by seizing a massive tanker carrying crude oil off the coast of Venezuela and ramping up sanctions on the regime. The capture of a sanctioned ship has fueled fears of a wider conflict with Venezuela while also raising the prospect [...]
Venezuela: Trump Administration Ramps Up Oil Sanctions, Targets Tankers - Venezuelanalysis
Caracas, December 12, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The US Treasury Department levied new sanctions against the Venezuelan oil industry as the Trump White House looks to strangle the Caribbean nation’s most important revenue source. On Thursday, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) blacklisted six shipping companies for allegedly transporting Venezuelan crude. OFAC likewise identified six tankers, one from each sanctioned firm,…
Exclusive – Marsha Blackburn Defends Seizure of Venezuelan Oil Tanker: 'We're Enforcing Sanctions'
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) defended the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker, contending that President Donald Trump is totally within his right on this and that the United States is simply enforcing sanctions. The post Exclusive – Marsha Blackburn Defends Seizure of Venezuelan Oil Tanker: ‘We’re Enforcing Sanctions’ appeared first on Breitbart. The post Exclusive – Marsha Blackburn Defends Seizure of Venezuelan Oil Tanker: 'We're Enforcing Sanc…
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