US Boards Merchant Ship Off Venezuela

TT

Published 2025-12-20 22.21

 

The US has previously boarded a ship off the coast of Venezuela on December 10. Archive image. Photo: US Department of Justice Via X/AP/TT

US forces have boarded a merchant ship off the coast of Venezuela.

The boarding is confirmed on X by US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and the US Coast Guard.

Minister Noem writes on X that the raid on the oil tanker was carried out during the night of Saturday, local time:

"In a pre-dawn raid this morning on December 20, the US Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, conducted an operation against an oil tanker that was last in a port in Venezuela".

This is the second time in two weeks that a merchant ship has been stopped by the US military. Saturday's incident occurred days after President Donald Trump declared a blockade against all oil ships traveling to or from Venezuela.

Previous boarding

On December 10, the US military seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in a large-scale commando raid.

The confirmation of the latest raid on a merchant ship comes after several high-ranking sources spoke to the AP news agency and the media company CNN.

According to the sources, who were not allowed to comment officially on military operations, the boarding took place with the approval of the ship's commander - who also voluntarily anchored and allowed soldiers to board.

The New York Times newspaper states that the boarded ship sailed under the Panamanian flag, and refers, among other things, to people in the Venezuelan oil industry.

Military presence

There are currently eleven US warships in the waters off Venezuela, including the USS Gerald R Ford, one of the world's largest aircraft carriers. The US Coast Guard is also on site with ships, but the agency does not want to state what operations are being carried out there “due to operational security reasons”.

Caracas and Venezuelan leaders accuse the US of illegal operations and that the US is out to “steal oil from Venezuela”.

Previously, the US has also attacked – and sunk – a large number of smaller ships suspected of smuggling drugs. At least 104 people have been killed in the attacks in the 28 raids confirmed by Washington DC.