Ongoing U.S. Interdiction and Seizure of a Vessel, Venezuela
Issued: 4 days, 18 hours ago
| Date | Reference | Region | Category | Aggressors | Source |
| 2025-12-20 18:44:00 | CWD Notification 011- (Dec 25) | Americas | OSINT | Military | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open-sources have reported that the U.S. Coastguard are currently interdicting and seizing a vessel in international waters, off Venezuela (exaction position not specified). Reports have stated that this ‘move’ comes only days after the US President Donald Trump announced a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. U.S. Officials who made the announcement are currently speaking under the condition of anonymity and have not provided the location of where the incident is taking place. UPDATE 1: Open-sources are reporting that the U.S. Coast Guard, with assistance from the Navy, have seized a Panama-flagged, Chinese-owned and sanction, crude oil supertanker in the Caribbean Sea, off Venezuela. UPDATE 2: Reports have stated that the Panama-flagged tanker involved in the seizure was not on the U.S. Treasury's list of sanctioned vessels. Additionally, it is reported that the tanker was transporting some 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey crude oil, and was bound for China after loading under a false name. There are circulating reports on open-source media stating that the vessel is part of a "shadow fleet" of tankers which hide their location to transport oil from countries sanctioned by the U.S. | |||||