US sanctions six ships as Washington escalates pressure on Venezuela

​The US intensified its campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday, sanctioning six additional ships and shipping companies linked to illicit oil transport just a day after seizing the tanker Skipper off Venezuela's coast, the BBC reported. ​

US forces from the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier executed the raid on December 10, deploying two helicopters with 10 Coast Guard members, 10 Marines, and special operations personnel.

They boarded the Skipper, a 20-year-old vessel previously sanctioned in 2022 for smuggling Iranian oil to fund terrorist groups like Iran's Revolutionary Guard-Quds Force.

The tanker, crewed mostly by Russians, had loaded 1.1 million barrels of PDVSA crude at Puerto José around December 4-5, valued at roughly $78 million.

Attorney General Pam Bondi released video of troops rappelling onto the deck, confirming a seizure warrant for sanctioned Venezuelan and Iranian oil tied to terrorism financing. ​

The White House intends to redirect Skipper to a US port and seize its cargo, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stating the US "does intend to get the oil" via legal process. President Trump suggested keeping it during questioning. ​

Venezuela condemned the action as "international piracy" and "blatant theft," with Maduro vowing his country would never become an "oil colony." ​

According to US media including ABC, the new Treasury sanctions target companies like:

In effect, the US would blocking their vessels from international business.

These could hit Maduro relatives and firms in a "shadow fleet" shuttling sanctioned oil from Venezuela, Iran, and Russia — often to China, the top importer. ​

The Skipper had spoofed its location across Iran, China, and Venezuela routes, per maritime trackers.

Further seizures loom to choke Maduro's finances amid US military buildup and drug boat strikes.

On Wednesday, Caracas accused Washington of "blatant theft" after US President Donald Trump announced the seizure of a large oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.

Venezuela "strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes blatant theft and an act of international piracy, publicly announced by the President of the United States," the country's foreign ministry said in a statement.