Ghost Tankers Load Venezuelan Crude as U.S. Seizes Vessel and Tightens Pressure on Maduro

Two so‑called “ghost” tankers continue loading Venezuelan crude despite U.S. sanctions, while Washington seizes an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast and signals plans to target more vessels in a bid to cut off Caracas’s oil revenues.

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Dec 13, 2025 - 15:00

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Ghost Tankers Load Venezuelan Crude as U.S. Seizes Vessel and Tightens Pressure on Maduro

Two large “ghost” oil tankers are actively loading crude off the coast of Venezuela, underscoring the difficulty the U.S. faces in fully choking off exports from the oil‑dependent South American nation even as Washington intensifies its pressure campaign. —a

The activity at Venezuela’s principal Jose oil port comes just days after U.S. forces seized the oil tanker Skipper in the Caribbean Sea off Venezuela’s coast on December 10, 2025 — a landmark move in efforts to enforce U.S. sanctions against Caracas. The vessel, previously sanctioned for illicit oil transport linked to Iran and Hezbollah, was carrying Venezuelan crude when U.S. authorities acted under a warrant set to expire.

Despite Washington’s actions and warnings about future seizures, shipping data shows that crude exports—including through “ghost” tankers that evade detection by turning off tracking systems or changing identities—continue at significant levels. Preliminary reports suggest Venezuela has loaded nearly 880,000 barrels per day of crude in recent days, up from average levels earlier in December.

The U.S. government—led by President Donald Trump—has framed the crackdown as part of a broader strategy to deprive President Nicolás Maduro’s regime of its primary source of revenue. Officials have signaled that additional vessels are being targeted under sanctions enforcement, aiming to disrupt the network of stateless tankers that carry oil from Venezuela and other sanctioned states.

Caracas has condemned the tanker seizure as an “act of piracy” and accused Washington of economic aggression, while analysts warn that further disruptions to Venezuela’s oil exports could deepen the country’s economic crisis.