US intercepts oil tanker in Indian Ocean: ‘No other nation has the ability to impose its will in any domain’

The United States announced the interception of yet another oil tanker, this time in the Indian Ocean, this Monday (9). ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp In a post on the social network INFOGRAPHIC shows oil tankers targeted by US interceptions At least three large oil tankers would have been the target of interception attempts following the announcement of a naval blockade made by the United States against Venezuela at the beginning of December. The oil tanker Bella 1 managed to avoid the approach of US authorities over the weekend, but two other ships had successful seizures (READ MORE BELOW). The measure was presented by President Donald Trump’s government as part of the strategy to increase economic and political pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s regime. All of the intercepted ships are tankers used to transport crude oil, with a capacity of more than 300,000 tons, according to maritime tracking data and official US government information found by g1. In total, the interceptions were reported between December 10th and 21st and involved vessels registered under the flags of Guyana and Panama (SEE INFOGRAPHIC BELOW). 📌 Context: In the maritime sector, the flag indicates the ship’s country of registration, which does not necessarily mean the place of origin of the cargo or the company responsible. Guyana’s maritime authority, however, stated that one of the vessels used the country’s flag irregularly and was not officially registered. The White House declared that another vessel was operating under a falsified flag as part of the so-called Venezuelan “ghost fleet”. See which ships were intercepted. Art/g1 – Bruna Azevedo Among the intercepted ships is the Skipper, a large oil tanker, almost 333 meters long, a size equivalent to more than three football fields placed in a row. The vessel has a maximum capacity of around 310 thousand tons of crude oil and was intercepted on December 10, after being seized by the United States near Venezuela. Although the ship appeared on tracking systems to be sailing under the Guyanese flag, the Guyanese maritime authority said the tanker was using the country’s registration irregularly. In a statement, the agency said it had identified an “unacceptable trend” of unauthorized use of the Guyanese flag by vessels that are not officially registered in the country. Another oil tanker intercepted was the Centuries, a ship that appeared to be sailing under the Panamanian flag. The interception was reported on December 20, during the early hours of last Saturday, in an operation conducted by the United States near Venezuela. According to the White House, the Centuries is a “false flag ship” that operated as part of the so-called Venezuelan ghost fleet, used to transport oil considered irregular by American authorities. A United States military helicopter flies over the Centuries, a Panama-flagged ship intercepted by the US Coast Guard, in the Caribbean Sea. DHS/Disclosure via REUTERS Last Sunday (21), authorities reported the interception of Bella 1, but the information released throughout the day presented divergent versions. Bloomberg news agency reported that the United States had approached the oil tanker, identified by the agency as a Panama-flagged ship. On the other hand, authorities interviewed by Reuters stated that, although the US was pursuing an oil tanker in international waters in the Caribbean, the vessel had not yet been approached at that time. Last Monday, it was confirmed that the tanker escaped the American siege in the Caribbean. Data from the MarineTraffic website indicated that the Bella 1 was sailing under the Guyanese flag and was destined for Curaçao, a Dutch island in the Caribbean. The ship is approximately 333 meters long, 60 meters wide and has a capacity of more than 318 thousand tons of crude oil. What is the impact of interceptions? Tracking data already indicates a direct impact of interceptions on Venezuela’s oil exports. After the increase in inspection actions in the Caribbean, oil tanker traffic in Venezuelan waters decreased sharply, according to data from companies specializing in maritime monitoring and energy market intelligence. Surveys by Kpler, a data platform for tracking ships, cargo and global oil flows, indicate that a significant number of oil tankers even started to remain stopped or avoid routes associated with Venezuela. The company estimates that more than 16 million barrels are stored on oil tankers parked in Venezuelan waters or near the country, including dozens of ships already loaded and others waiting for loading. Satellite image shows the supertanker Skipper in waters near Puerto José, Venezuela, on November 14, 2025. The vessel was reportedly seized on December 10. Planet Labs PBC/Disclosure via Reuters. Furthermore, the pace of loading has dropped significantly in recent weeks, with volumes lower than those observed in previous months. The estimated reduction is around a quarter compared to the recent level of exports. Information compiled by Reuters, based on tracking data from the Refinitiv Eikon platform, also indicates that the movement of ships entering and leaving Venezuelan waters almost stopped after the first interceptions. According to the agency, only vessels operating under specific licenses granted by the United States government continued to export oil from the country. Why are ships being seized? Trump administration shows action that seized second oil tanker coming from Venezuela Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves on the planet, with a capacity of approximately 303 billion barrels — or 17% of the known volume —, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the official US energy statistics body. This volume puts the country ahead of giants such as Saudi Arabia (267 billion) and Iran (209 billion), by a wide margin. Much of Venezuela’s oil, however, is extra-heavy, which requires sophisticated technology and high investments for extraction. 🔎 In practice, the potential is enormous, but it remains underutilized due to precarious infrastructure and international sanctions that limit operations and access to capital. There is a clear US interest. According to the EIA, Venezuela’s heavy crude “is well suited to North American refineries, especially those located along the Gulf Coast.” In this context, the Republican achieves two objectives simultaneously: by seeking to favor the US economy, he also puts pressure on Venezuela’s oil production and exports — a sector that is central to the country’s economy and supports the government of Nicolás Maduro. The initial effects have already started to appear this week. A Bloomberg News report indicated that Caracas faces a lack of capacity to store oil, amid measures by Washington to prevent vessels from docking or leaving Venezuelan ports. Since the United States imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s energy sector in 2019, traders and refiners that buy Venezuelan oil have resorted to using a “ghost fleet” of tankers, which hide their location, and vessels sanctioned for transporting oil from Iran or Russia. China is the biggest buyer of Venezuelan crude oil, which accounts for about 4% of its imports. In December, shipments are expected to reach an average of more than 600,000 barrels per day, according to analysts consulted by Reuters. See the videos that are trending on g1 For now, the oil market is well supplied, and there are millions of barrels in tankers off the coast of China waiting to be unloaded. If the embargo remains in place for some time, the loss of nearly a million barrels per day in crude oil supply is likely to put upward pressure on oil prices. The attack on oil tankers comes as Trump has ordered the Defense Department to carry out a series of attacks on vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean that his administration alleges are smuggling fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the United States and beyond. At least 104 people have been killed in 28 known attacks since the beginning of September. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said in an interview with Vanity Fair published this week that Trump “wants to keep blowing up boats until Maduro shouts ‘uncle.'” Trump and Maduro AP Photo/Evan Vucci; Reuters/Leonardo Fernandez

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