US seized tanker near Venezuela just as warrant was set to expire, court document shows

By Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) – The U.S. government seized the M/T Skipper off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, just before a judge-signed arrest warrant was due to expire, according to a document unsealed on Friday.

The order, signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui on November 26, gave the Trump administration until December 10, 2025, to seize the ship. This was the first seizure of a Venezuelan oil cargo during US sanctions that have been in place since 2019.

Skipper departed Venezuela’s main oil port of Jose between 4 and 5 December after loading approximately 1.8 million barrels of Venezuela’s Merey heavy crude oil.

The Trump administration said the M/T Skipper was used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.

“The seizure of this ship highlights our successful efforts to impose costs on the governments of Venezuela and Iran,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement Friday. he said.

The United States is preparing to stop more ships carrying Venezuelan oil, sources told Reuters.

Although the warrant was unsealed, the accompanying affidavit remained unredacted. Other documents in the case will remain temporarily sealed, Faruqui said.

This week’s seizure of the ship, condemned by the Venezuelan government, was the latest escalation in rising tensions between Washington and Caracas.

In recent months, the US has launched numerous strikes against suspected drug vessels in the region; It was a move condemned by US lawmakers and legal experts.

As the United States continues to build up its military forces in and around the Southern Caribbean, President Donald Trump has repeatedly raised the possibility of a U.S. military intervention in Venezuela.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward; editing by Diane Craft)