Maduro Accuses U.S. of Stealing Oil Tanker

On Thursday evening, Nicolas Maduro, the socialist leader of Venezuela, accused the United States of “stealing” an oil tanker that was recently seized. He likened the situation to something out of “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

During a broadcast, Maduro referred to the seized vessel as a “ship of peace.” His comments came after a statement from President Trump on Wednesday, where he informed reporters that the U.S. military had taken control of a sanctioned oil tanker headed for Cuba, situated off Venezuela’s coast.

Details about the tanker were scarce, but reports indicated that it was named Skipper and had previously been associated with Iranian oil smuggling, while carrying Venezuelan crude oil.

This marked the first time Maduro publicly addressed the issue, declaring the event as ushering in a new period of “naval piracy in the Caribbean.”

Maduro stated, “When they [the U.S.] began to carry out military assaults, kidnappings, and thefts of various ships — commercial, civilian, and those of peace — it was an outright criminal act.” He disputed Trump’s claim regarding the location of the tanker, asserting that it was not near Venezuela but rather closer to Trinidad and Tobago and heading toward the Atlantic Ocean.

He added that the tanker was allegedly transporting 1.9 million barrels of oil, claiming that the payments for this oil were made in Venezuela.

Maduro went on to assert that the crew members of the tanker were “kidnapped” and now “missing,” expressing concern over their whereabouts. “They kidnapped the crew, they stole the ship, and they initiated a new era of piracy in the Caribbean,” he stated, asserting Venezuela’s rejection of what he termed as a criminal act.

In response, Maduro indicated that he had ordered measures to “secure” other vessels and would pursue both legal and diplomatic efforts to ensure the “free trade of oil to the world.”

According to sources reported by Reuters, the U.S. is preparing to intercept more ships thought to be transporting Venezuelan oil. Some insiders mentioned that the U.S. has created a “target list” of additional sanctioned tankers for potential seizure.

The captured tanker is expected to be held at a port in Texas, although plans for crew release were mentioned. White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt emphasized that the U.S. would not tolerate sanctioned vessels transporting black market oil, which she said supports illegitimate regimes worldwide.

Maduro’s officials claimed that Trump had effectively “confessed” to stealing the tanker through his statements.