US Coast Guard pursues third oil tanker linked to Venezuela sanctions crackdown: official

WASHINGTON (TNND) — The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday went after a third sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea that “is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion,” an American official told The Associated Press.

The news comes after the Trump administration announced on Saturday it had seized another tanker for the second time in less than two weeks. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, added that the vessel was flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.

Saturday’s predawn seizure of a Panama-flagged vessel called Centuries targeted what the White House described as a “falsely flagged vessel operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet to traffic stolen oil.”

This image from video posted on Attorney General Pam Bondi’s X account, and partially redacted by the source, shows an oil tanker being seized by U.S. forces off the coast of Venezuela, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (U.S. Attorney General’s Office/X via AP)

On Dec. 10, President Donald Trump said the U.S. military seized what he described as a “very large” oil tanker in the area.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi shared a video of the seizure, which she said was led by the U.S Coast Guard, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, with support from the Department of War.

Trump, after that first seizure, vowed that the U.S. would carry out a “blockade” of Venezuela. It all comes as Trump has ratcheted up his rhetoric toward Maduro and warned that the longtime Venezuelan leader’s days in power are numbered.

The president cited the lost U.S. investments in Venezuela when asked about his newest tactic in a pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro, suggesting the Republican administration’s moves are at least somewhat motivated by disputes over oil investments, along with accusations of drug trafficking. Some sanctioned tankers are already diverting away from Venezuela.

In September, the U.S. military began launching deadly strikes on suspected narcotics-trafficking vessels, which are operated by what the Trump administration has classified as Designated Terrorist Organizations.

The latest strike was carried out on Thursday.

So far, at least 104 suspected narco-terrorists have been killed in 28 known attacks.

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Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.