Speaking on December 10, US President Donald Trump said: "We have just seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, the largest, very largest, largest ship ever. And there are many other things going on. When asked about the amount of oil on the ship, Mr. Trump replied: "We keep it, I guess so."
Chief Prosecutor Namela Bondi also said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI), the Internal Security Investigation Agency (HSI) and the US Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, have executed an order to seize a crude oil tanker used to transport projects against Venezuela and Iran.
These statements immediately raised concerns that the US is expanding the scope of sanctions and enforcing control over the oil sector - Venezuela's vital financial apparatus.
Three unnamed US officials said the US Coast Guard was leading the operation, but refused to disclose the ship's nationality, route or specific location.
However, the British maritime security group Vanguard said the seized ship was likely a Skipper, which was sanctioned by Washington for operating under the Adisa name, on suspicion of being involved in transporting Iranian oil.
tankerTrackers.com's satellite data and the internal transportation records of the Venezuela National Oil and Gas Group (PDVSA) show that Skipper left the port of Jose - Venezuela's largest oil export point - around December 4-5 after loading a depot of Merey crude oil. This is one of the country's main oil exporters.
Information about the seizure immediately affected the global energy market. Brent oil price closed the session at 62.21 USD/barrel, up 27 cents; while WTI increased by 21 cents, reaching 58.46 USD/barrel. Both standard oils increased by about 0.4% when the information spread.
Meanwhile, President Nicolas Putin did not mention the incident when speaking at a parade on December 10. However, observers say Caracas will certainly face more pressure, because Washington has previously heavily sanctioned PDVSA but avoided directly hitting oil shipments on export routes.
Venezuela last month exported more than 900,000 barrels/day - the third highest of the year - thanks to increased imports of naphta for the purpose of thinning super heavy oil.
Analysts warn that if the US continues to seize ships or block Venezuela's oil shipments, the market could face the risk of a small shortage but enough to cause oil prices to fluctuate strongly. At the same time, this move could also fuel US-Venezuela tensions, leading to backlash from Caracas' allies such as Iran or Russia.
In the context of a return to increased production and oil revenue as the artery of the Venezuelan economy, the US's "attack" directly on the oil transport route is considered a significant escalation.
Washington has not yet released details about the investigation or further targets, but many experts believe that this could be just the beginning of a larger campaign to tighten the Trump administration's revenue.
