At least 16 oil tankers have departed Venezuelan waters since 3/1, following the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro by US forces, according to TankerTrackers.com. The website, which monitors tanker movements via satellite image analysis, reported that these vessels had been anchored at Venezuelan ports for weeks but all departed their positions in the past three days.
Four of the tankers moved eastbound, approximately 48 km offshore, employing "spoofing tactics" by using false names and misreporting their locations. The remaining 12 vessels ceased transmitting signals and have not appeared in recent satellite images. Their current whereabouts and itineraries remain unknown.
Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, stated that these tankers were carrying an estimated 4 million barrels of crude oil and fuel.
US media outlets, citing two anonymous sources within Venezuela's state oil company, reported that these vessels left port without authorization from the interim government. Observers suggest this could be the first act of defiance against interim President Delcy Rodriguez's administration.
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Three oil tankers departing a Venezuelan port on 3/1. Photo: *Copernicus* |
US President Donald Trump imposed a blockade on Venezuelan oil export tankers on 16/12/2025. This order did not apply to oil tankers leased by the US corporation Chevron.
After Washington launched its operation to apprehend President Maduro and his wife on 3/1, Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed that the US would continue to enforce the oil blockade. He stated this would serve as "leverage to pressure for policy changes in Venezuela".
US forces recently intercepted and processed three vessels allegedly carrying Venezuelan oil. One vessel, named Skipper, was intercepted by the US Coast Guard on 10/12 while en route to Trung Quoc. A second vessel, Centuries, was stopped and inspected on 20/12 but not seized. A third vessel, formerly Bella 1 and now Marinera, is currently being pursued by US forces.
Responding to media inquiries on 4/1, a US official indicated that the blockade operation is ongoing, focusing on the "shadow fleet", a term used for oil tankers on the sanctions list.
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Oil tankers anchored at El Palito port in Venezuela, 21/12/2025. Photo: *AP* |
Venezuela faces significant pressure to offload its oil inventory. Since the US imposed the blockade, the country's storage facilities are nearing maximum capacity. Halting extraction risks damaging oil fields and infrastructure.
Internal data from Venezuela's state oil and gas corporation and two industry sources reveal that the illegally departed tankers were hired by two oil traders: Alex Saab and Ramon Carretero.
Both individuals are sanctioned by the US for their business ties to the Maduro family. Saab was detained in the US in 2021 but released by the Biden administration in 2023 in exchange for US citizens held by Venezuela. Fifteen of the 16 tankers that left port on 3/1 are on the US sanctions list for previously transporting oil from Iran and Russia.
Duc Trung (According to CBS, Bloomberg, Reuters)
