US forces on Saturday apprehended a second merchant vessel carrying oil off the coast of Venezuela in international waters in the midst of an American blockade against the country’s oil, according to the US homeland security department. The stoppage follows the seizure by US forces of another oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast on 10 December. “The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco-terrorism in the region,” Noem said. View image in fullscreen The Centuries crude oil tanker, last docked in Venezuela, as it is apprehended by the US Coast Guard. “It also runs counter to Trump’s statement that the US would impose a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers,” he said.

Source: International New York Times December 20, 2025 21:54 UTC