US 'in pursuit' of third oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast in second operation this weekend
It comes less than 24 hours after America's Coast Guard were seen boarding another oil tanker in international waters
The US is "in pursuit" of a third oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, officials have said.
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It comes just hours after the US seized another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela as Donald Trump continues to ramp up pressure on the regime of President Nicolás Maduro.
An official said the latest pursuit related to a "sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion."
They added: "It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order."
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In a pre-dawn action early this morning on Dec. 20, the US Coast Guard with the support of the Department of War apprehended an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela.
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) December 20, 2025
The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund… pic.twitter.com/nSZ4mi6axc
It was initially believed that the third vessel had been intercepted, but reports in the US now describe the situation as an "active pursuit."
It is not clear which vessel it is, and the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, did not give a specific location for the operation.
According to the New York Times, the ship did not submit to being boarded and continued sailing and officials referred to the situation as "an active pursuit."
It is now believed to be fleeing in the Caribbean Sea.
But it comes less than 24 hours after America's Coast Guard were seen boarding an oil tanker in international waters.
In response to Saturday's interception, the Venezuelan Government said the "acts will not go unpunished."
It added that it intended to file a complaint with the UN Security Council and "other multilateral agencies and the governments of the world."
As of last week, data compiled by TankerTrackers.com showed more than 30 of the 80 ships in Venezuelan waters or approaching the country were under US sanctions.
Mr. Trump hinted this week that more seizures were coming, announcing a blockade on oil tankers travelling to and from Venezuela.
"For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION," he wrote on TruthSocial.
"Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela."
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees the Coast Guard, shared a video of Saturday's operation on X.
In the seven-minute video, US helicopters are seen landing on the deck of a ship with the name Centuries written on the side.
"In a pre-dawn action early this morning on Dec 20, the US Coast Guard with the support of the Department of War apprehended an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela," Noem wrote.
"The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region."
The Centuries is a Panamanian-flagged ship, but it has reportedly sailed under the flags of Greece and Liberia in the past five years.
Authorities in Venezuela have warned they intend to respond to the seizure of the oil tank, while the Brazilian government has cautioned the US against breaking international law.
The reasoning for the seizure of the Centuries is far less clear than it was with the first tanker, the Skipper, which was known to be part of a shadow fleet of tankers that operates on the fringes of the law to move sanctioned cargo and was not even flying a nation's flag when it was seized by the US Coast Guard.
White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly claimed in an online post on Saturday that the Centuries was a similarly "falsely flagged vessel operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet to traffic stolen oil" and that the oil it was carrying was sanctioned.
However, Dr Salvatore Mercogliano, a maritime historian and merchant shipping expert at Campbell University, said that according to several shipping industry databases, the Centuries appeared to be operating legally.
"Everything indicates that she is a properly registered vessel," Dr Mercogliano said, though he did note that it is almost certain that the Centuries took on a load of sanctioned oil.
To Dr Mercogliano, even despite the fact that the Centuries was carrying oil that was subject to sanctions, the seizure is "a big escalation".
"This one is meant to scare other tankers away," he added.