Trump Orders Blockade as U.S. Seizes Second Oil Tanker Near Venezuela

Trump Orders Blockade as U.S. Seizes Second Oil Tanker Near Venezuela

The United States has seized another vessel near Venezuela, escalating enforcement actions just days after President Donald Trump announced a blockade targeting sanctioned oil shipments tied to the Maduro regime.

According to Reuters, three U.S. officials confirmed that American forces are interdicting and seizing a vessel in international waters off Venezuela’s Caribbean coast. The officials stated that the U.S. Coast Guard is leading the operation, although they declined to provide specific details about the location or timing.

“The United States is interdicting and seizing a vessel off the coast of Venezuela in international waters,” three U.S. officials told Reuters.

This marks the second tanker seizure in recent weeks and comes amid an expanded U.S. military presence in the region. Earlier this month, U.S. forces boarded and seized an oil tanker sanctioned for participating in illicit Venezuelan oil operations, signaling a more aggressive enforcement posture.

The latest action follows Trump’s public declaration earlier this week that the United States would aggressively target sanctioned oil shipments.

“I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela,” Trump said.

Reuters reported that the first seizure has already produced a chilling effect. Loaded tankers carrying millions of barrels of oil are now remaining in Venezuelan waters rather than risk interception by U.S. forces, creating what officials described as an effective embargo.

Secondary reporting from ABC News and USA Today identified the newly seized vessel as the Centuries, a Panama-flagged oil tanker operating near Curaçao. While the ship itself was not under U.S. sanctions, its interception underscores the widening scope of U.S. enforcement in the region.

“This would mark the second time in recent weeks that the United States has seized a tanker near Venezuela,” Reuters reported.

The Coast Guard and Pentagon referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond. Venezuela’s oil ministry and state oil company PDVSA also declined to comment.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the United States of using military pressure to destabilize his government and gain control of Venezuela’s oil resources.

For now, Reuters notes that global oil markets remain well supplied. Analysts warn, however, that a prolonged blockade could remove close to one million barrels per day from global supply and eventually drive prices higher.

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