By Riffat Kausar
Chairman
Scandinavian News Finland
The United States has detained another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, further tightening pressure on global oil shipments linked to sanctioned trade.
The operation took place early on December 20, when the vessel was intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard, with support from the Department of Defense, according to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
She stated that Washington will continue stopping shipments of sanctioned oil that are allegedly used to finance narco-terrorism.
This marks the first tanker detention since December 17, when former President Donald Trump ordered the start of a de facto blockade of vessels traveling to and from Venezuela.
According to Bloomberg, the detained vessel is the supertanker Centuries, carrying nearly two million barrels of Venezuelan oil. The ship was sailing under a Panamanian flag and transporting the cargo for a Chinese company. Notably, the tanker itself is not under U.S. sanctions.
Venezuelan authorities have accused Washington of stealing the ship and kidnapping its crew, sharply criticizing the move as illegal.
Earlier, on December 10, U.S. authorities detained another tanker, Skipper, which was already under sanctions due to its alleged links with Iran.
The latest detention highlights rising tensions between Washington, Caracas, and Beijing, as U.S. enforcement actions increasingly target China’s energy interests.
The move follows a series of escalating U.S. actions against sanctioned oil trade, previously reported by Scandinavian News Finland.
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