Tensions between Washington and Caracas reached an all-time high after American forces seized a sneaky sanctioned tanker carrying an estimated 1.1 million barrels of crude oil off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday.

The tanker, identified as Skipper by maritime analysts Vanguard, was allegedly the same “sanctioned shadow vessel known for carrying black-market sanctioned oil” to Iran, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday.

Leavitt confirmed that the US plans to keep the oil inside the tanker, which has a history of skirting detection and was holding cargo worth more than $62 million, according to current market prices.

“The US does intend to seize that oil, however there is a legal process for its seizure and that legal process will be followed,” she said.

The interception is likely the first of many to come as the Trump administration placed sanctions on six more ships as it increases its pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Skipper, which is classified as a large crude carrier (VLCC), fell under America’s radar for allegedly transporting oil from Venezuela to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran.

The Skipper is just one of more than 170 vessels the US government has levied sanctions against for allegedly moving illicit oil.

The tanker was falsely flying Guyana’s flag at the time it was taken over by the US in an attempt to skirt international sanctions against both Venezuela and Iran, according to Guyana’s maritime authority.

“Skipper has transported nearly 13 million barrels of Iranian and Venezuelan oil since joining the global dark fleet of tankers in 2021,” Samir Madani, the co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, told the New York Times.

Data of the ship’s movements showed that since 2022, Skipper has been covertly transporting oil between the two countries, Matt Smith, head US analyst at the consulting firm Kpler, told CNBC.

Dimitris Ampatzidis, Kpler’s manager for risk and compliance, said that in the last year, the Skipper had begun spoofing its automatic identification system (AIS) data to hide its real-time location when transporting oil between Venezuela and Iran.

In 2024, the fake readings were recorded in Iran, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Mediterranean, according to Kpler’s records.

“These behaviors form a coherent picture: a vessel intentionally engineered to operate outside transparency, using digital manipulation and covert logistics to mask sanctioned crude flows under the appearance of normal maritime traffic,” Ampatzidis said.

Data from 2025’s travel record shows that Skipper had transported oil out of the ports of Jose in Venezuela and Kharg Island in Iran.

The ship had departed Venezuela last week, with roughly half of its cargo of crude oil belonging to a Cuban state-run oil importer, according to documents from a state-owned oil company acquired by the Associated Press.

Smith said the ship appeared to be heading for Cuba before it was stopped by US forces off the coast of Venezuela.

Wednesday’s seizure has made vessels transporting Caracas’ crude oil now reconsider whether to sail to Venezuelan waters in the coming days as planned, shipping sources told Reuters.

At least one shipper has temporarily suspended the voyage of three, newly loaded shipments of Venezuelan oil totaling nearly 6 million barrels, the sources added.

Following the seizure, the US also announced additional sanctions on six vessels tied to Venezuela’s oil sector, with further direct interventions expected in the coming weeks.

“The US government will continue to deny financial lifelines to the illegitimate Maduro regime, which he uses to oppress the Venezuelan people,” the State Department said in a statement. “The United States is committed to keeping the American people safe by using all available means to eliminate threats of narco-trafficking and crime throughout our hemisphere.”

With Post Wires