By Richard Escobedo and Nick Kurtz / Updated on: December 11, 2025 / 8:17 PM EST / CBS News
The U.S. seized a 20-year-old oil tanker called The Skipper off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, three sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. President Trump announced the seizure during an unrelated White House event. Here’s what is known about the vessel and the operation.
Seizure involved special operations forces and two helicopters
The boarding began Wednesday morning after the tanker had just left a Venezuelan port, according to a senior military official and a source familiar with the mission. The operation launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford, which has been in the region for weeks as part of a U.S. military buildup near Venezuela.
Two helicopters, special operations forces, 10 U.S. Coast Guard members and 10 Marines participated. The Coast Guard’s Maritime Security and Response Team — an elite maritime interdiction unit based in Chesapeake, Virginia — led the boarding. Attorney General Pam Bondi posted a 45-second video showing armed personnel fast-roping from a helicopter onto the vessel’s deck and said the U.S. executed a seizure warrant, alleging the tanker was “used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.”
U.S. officials said fast-rope helicopter boardings at sea are rare but are part of the team’s training. The operation was Coast Guard–led with Navy support; seizures of this type fall under Coast Guard jurisdiction.
What happens to the vessel and the oil
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the vessel is currently undergoing a forfeiture process. A U.S. investigative team is on board, interviewing individuals and collecting evidence. Leavitt said the vessel will be brought to a U.S. port and the U.S. intends to seize the oil, subject to legal procedures.
Tanker’s sanction history and ownership
The Skipper was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2022 for its alleged role in an oil smuggling network that helped fund the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah. The ship was known as Adisa in 2022 and was identified as among vessels controlled by Russian oil magnate Viktor Artemov. Treasury said Artemov used an extensive network of ships, often registered in obscure ways, to transport Iranian oil and skirt U.S. restrictions.
Although the 2022 Treasury action did not mention Venezuela, networks involving both Iran and Venezuela have been reported for years and drawn U.S. pushback. Trade with both countries is heavily restricted by sanctions. Public records show the tanker is managed by Nigeria-based Thomarose Global Ventures LTD and owned by a firm linked to Artemov.
Vessel details and reactions
The ship is 20 years old and originally sailed in 2005 as The Toyo. At 333 meters (about 1,092 feet), it was among the largest tankers when built. Guyana’s government said the ship was falsely flying the Guyanese flag and was not registered in Guyana.
Bondi said the tanker was sanctioned “due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations,” and described the seizure as safely conducted. Venezuela’s government condemned the action, calling it “a shameless robbery and an act of international piracy.”