This screen grab taken from a video posted on the X account of US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem shows a US Coast Guard aircraft flying over a crude oil tanker, last docked in Venezuela, before apprehending it on December 20, 2025. Photo: VCG

 
The Venezuelan government on Saturday denounced what it called a new "theft and kidnapping" of a private vessel transporting Venezuelan oil, along with the forced disappearance of its crew, allegedly carried out by US military forces in international waters, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Authorities described the incident as an act of piracy that seriously violated international law and undermined fundamental principles of freedom of navigation and maritime trade, per Xinhua.

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed the interception on Saturday, saying in a post on X that the US Coast Guard apprehended an oil tanker with the support of the Department of War.

"The US will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region," she wrote. "We will find you, and we will stop you," she added.

While President Trump's directive this week targeted sanctioned tankers, the vessel the US seized Saturday is not under US sanctions, the CNN reported.

"These acts will not go unpunished," Venezuela's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, said, adding that Venezuela will take "all corresponding actions, including filing a complaint before the United Nations Security Council, other multilateral organizations, and the governments of the world。"

According to an official statement, the action breached international legal instruments protecting maritime safety, as well as core norms enshrined in the UN Charter and other multilateral conventions, Xinhua reported.

The pre-dawn operation comes days after US President Donald Trump announced a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers coming in and out of the South American country and follows the December 10 seizure by American forces of an oil tanker off Venezuela's coast, AP reported.

Global Times