The United States Coast Guard seized an oil tanker in international waters off Venezuela, marking the second such US operation that month amid a widening confrontation over the country’s oil exports.
The Department of Homeland Security said the vessel had recently departed Venezuela. Video released by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem showed helicopters placing a specialised tactical team aboard a ship bearing the name *Centuries*. Records reviewed by BBC Verify identified it as Panamanian-flagged, although it had also operated under Greek and Liberian flags during the previous five years. The Coast Guard led the boarding, as it had in the earlier seizure reported that month.
The *Centuries* was not listed among vessels sanctioned by the US Treasury. The White House subsequently said its cargo, rather than the vessel itself, was subject to sanctions because it consisted of oil from Venezuela’s state-run producer, PDVSA. A White House deputy press secretary described the ship as part of a Venezuelan shadow fleet, an allegation reported by the BBC but not independently substantiated in the supplied evidence.
The action followed President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States would impose a blockade on sanctioned tankers entering or leaving Venezuela. It also came less than a week after US forces seized another tanker that Washington alleged belonged to a so-called ghost fleet using methods intended to obscure its activity.
Venezuela’s government denounced the latest boarding as theft and kidnapping and said it planned to complain to the United Nations Security Council and other international bodies. President Nicolás Maduro had similarly accused the United States of taking the earlier ship and its crew.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said maritime interdiction operations would continue as part of efforts to disrupt alleged criminal networks. The seizures took place against the backdrop of a broader US military buildup in the Caribbean and heightened pressure on Maduro’s government. Washington has also accused Maduro of leading the Cartel de los Soles, a designated terrorist organisation, an allegation he denies.
The tanker action carried particular economic significance for Venezuela. The country holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves and depends heavily on petroleum-export revenue to finance government spending. The seizure therefore added a direct maritime enforcement element to longstanding US sanctions pressure.
Key legal and operational details remained unclear in the available reporting, including the precise basis on which US authorities took control of a vessel that was not itself on the Treasury sanctions list. The White House’s public explanation focused on the origin and sanctioned status of the cargo, while Caracas pledged to challenge the action through multilateral channels.
