Venezuela denounces hijacking of second oil vessel amid regional tensions

The Venezuelan government condemned on December 21 the hijacking of another private vessel carrying national oil and the enforced disappearance of its crew. This follows a prior incident involving a Venezuelan oil tanker, condemned by Cuba as US piracy earlier in December.

Caracas, Dec. 21 (Prensa Latina) The Venezuelan government has rejected the hijacking of a private vessel transporting national oil, labeling it piracy and a violation of sovereignty and maritime trade. The crew's enforced disappearance was also highlighted.

The statement comes amid escalating regional tensions, following a similar attack on a Venezuelan oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on December 11, which Cuba attributed to US forces. Details on the latest incident remain limited, with no updates on the vessel or crew location. Officials pledged action to address the situation.

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Dramatic seascape of US Coast Guard vessel seizing a Venezuelan oil tanker off the coast amid international tensions.
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US seizes second Venezuelan oil tanker off coast

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The United States intercepted and seized a second oil tanker off Venezuela's coast on Saturday (20), days after President Donald Trump's total blockade announcement. The action, confirmed by US authorities, comes amid escalating tensions and marks the second in weeks. Nicolás Maduro's regime denounced it as robbery and vowed international measures.

Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero condemned via social media the attack by US forces on a Venezuelan oil tanker. The Venezuela-Cuba Friendship and Mutual Solidarity Movement also strongly rejected this act of aggression in the Caribbean Sea.

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The United States seized another oil tanker off Venezuela's coast on Saturday, January 3, 2026, according to U.S. media reports. This marks at least the third such interception since December 2025, amid Washington's ongoing blockade of ships carrying oil linked to Nicolás Maduro's regime. Venezuelan authorities denounced the action as 'theft' and piracy.

The U.S. Coast Guard has seized the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Centuries, owned by a Chinese company and not on the sanctions list, in international waters off Venezuela on December 20—marking the second such interception in under two weeks amid President Trump's newly announced total blockade on sanctioned vessels.

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In the latest US aggression against Venezuela—following incidents like the December 2025 oil tanker attack and UN Security Council debates—Cuba's government denounced the January 3, 2026, bombing of Caracas and nearby states as state terrorism driven by imperial interests. President Miguel Díaz-Canel and officials expressed solidarity, while the Public Health Minister confirmed the safety of Cuban medical collaborators.

In the December 23, 2025, UN Security Council meeting on US seizures of Venezuelan oil tankers and naval pressures—where Venezuela accused Washington of extortion with Russia and China backing—China's Sun Lei warned of escalating regional tensions and sovereignty violations. Caracas is advancing legislation targeting naval blockade supporters amid the Trump administration's crackdown.

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U.S. forces said they boarded and apprehended the motor tanker Olina in international waters in the Caribbean Sea during a pre-dawn operation on January 9, 2026, describing it as part of a “ghost fleet” suspected of moving embargoed oil after departing Venezuela.

 

 

 

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