The U.S. Coast Guard is still pursuing a sanctioned oil tanker in international waters, a U.S. official told CBS News on Monday, as the Trump administration appeared to intensify its targeting of oil vessels amid a pressure campaign directed at the Venezuelan government. If caught and seized, it would be the third Venezuelan tanker taken by the U.S. this month. A U.S. official told CBS News that the interdiction of the vessel followed a similar playbook to an earlier U.S. seizure of an oil tanker near Venezuela. And earlier this month, sources told CBS News the U.S. military had seized a sanctioned 20-year-old oil tanker called The Skipper that had just left port in Venezuela. President Trump last week called for a "total and complete blockade" on all sanctioned oil tankers that enter or depart Venezuela.

Source: Fox News December 23, 2025 06:41 UTC