Updated December 11, 2025
U.S. forces seized the oil tanker The Skipper off Venezuela on Wednesday, officials told CBS News. President Trump announced the action at an unrelated White House event. Three sources familiar with the matter said the 20-year-old vessel was taken after departing a Venezuelan port.
How the operation unfolded
The boarding began Wednesday morning and was launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which has been operating in the area as part of a U.S. military buildup near Venezuela. The assault involved two helicopters, special operations personnel, 10 U.S. Coast Guard members and 10 Marines. The Coast Guard’s Maritime Security and Response Team — an elite interdiction unit based in Chesapeake, Virginia — led the boarding.
Attorney General Pam Bondi released a short video showing armed personnel fast-roping from a helicopter onto the tanker’s deck and said a U.S. seizure warrant was executed. Officials allege the vessel was used to move sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. U.S. sources noted that fast-rope boardings at sea are uncommon but practiced by the teams involved; the mission was Coast Guard–led with Navy support and falls under Coast Guard jurisdiction.
What will happen to the ship and its cargo
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the tanker is now subject to a forfeiture process. A U.S. investigative team is boarding the ship to interview those on board and collect evidence. Leavitt added the vessel is expected to be brought to a U.S. port and that authorities intend to seize the oil, pending legal procedures.
Sanctions and ownership history
The Skipper was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2022, then identified under the name Adisa for its alleged role in an oil-smuggling network that Treasury said helped finance the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah. Treasury’s action at the time named Russian oil businessman Viktor Artemov as controlling a network of ships that moved Iranian oil while attempting to evade U.S. restrictions.
Although the 2022 Treasury statement did not mention Venezuela specifically, sanctions and interdiction efforts have targeted networks involving both Iran and Venezuela for years. Public records list the vessel as managed by Nigeria-based Thomarose Global Ventures LTD and owned by an entity linked to Artemov.
Vessel details and reactions
Built in 2005 and originally named The Toyo, the ship is roughly 20 years old and about 333 meters long, making it one of the larger tankers when constructed. Guyana’s government said the vessel was flying its flag falsely and was not registered in Guyana.
Bondi characterized the seizure as safely carried out and stated the tanker had been sanctioned for participating in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations. The Venezuelan government condemned the action, calling it a “shameless robbery” and “an act of international piracy.”