Tensions rise as US seizes Venezuelan oil tankers amid Chinese condemnation

Monday 22 December 2025 - 17:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Tensions rise as US seizes Venezuelan oil tankers amid Chinese condemnation

The United States has intensified its maritime campaign in the Caribbean, seizing two tankers carrying Venezuelan crude and pursuing a third vessel accused of transporting sanctioned oil to Asian markets. The move marks a major escalation in Washington’s enforcement of its “total blockade” policy against Venezuela’s oil trade and has drawn sharp diplomatic backlash from Beijing and Caracas.

According to US officials, the Panama-flagged supertanker Centuries was intercepted and boarded by the US Coast Guard east of Venezuela after loading nearly 1.8 million barrels of Merey crude. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the operation as part of efforts to disrupt illegal oil transport networks that allegedly fund terrorism and narcotics trafficking. The tanker, not itself under direct sanction, has been linked to a complex network of ships that obscure ownership records and transponder signals to evade detection.

This follows a similar seizure earlier in December, when US forces captured the Skipper, a sanctioned vessel found to be carrying a blend of Iranian and Venezuelan crude. Both shipments were reportedly bound for Asian buyers, including in China, highlighting the global dimension of Washington’s maritime sanctions enforcement.

Chinese officials condemned the seizures as violations of international law. Speaking in Beijing, Foreign Ministry representatives said the actions amounted to “unilateral bullying” that infringes on Venezuela’s sovereign right to engage in lawful trade. China remains the top buyer of Venezuelan oil, accounting for a modest but economically vital share of its energy imports.

Venezuela’s government has denounced the US operations as acts of “international piracy,” accusing Washington of fabricating security concerns to justify the confiscation of its assets. President Nicolás Maduro condemned the seizures as part of “economic aggression” intended to cripple the country’s oil-dependent economy.

Meanwhile, maritime analysts warn the situation is becoming increasingly volatile. Trump’s authorization of what critics describe as a “de facto naval blockade” raises legal and military risks, with the potential to challenge global norms on freedom of navigation. While the US insists its actions are limited to sanction enforcement, the growing number of maritime confrontations has alarmed allies and adversaries alike.

Shipping data indicates several tankers linked to the so-called “dark fleet” have already diverted away from Venezuelan ports, signaling potential disruptions to crude exports and further strain on Venezuela’s collapsing oil infrastructure. As tensions mount, experts say the escalating confrontation between Washington, Beijing, and Caracas could redefine maritime enforcement norms and test international law at sea.