Venezuela Protests to UN Security Council Over US Seizure of Oil Tanker

Tuesday, 16 December 2025 9:17 PM 

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil

Venezuela has protested to the United Nations Security Council over the United States recent seizure of one of its oil tankers.

“We have delivered a letter to the UN Security Council presidency in which we officially condemn the US seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker,” Foreign Minister Ivan Gil said on Tuesday.

The top diplomat asserted that Venezuela would “continue to exercise its sovereign and inalienable right to market its resources in a legitimate manner.”

He demanded that no legal process be subjected to “theft, kidnapping, or acts of piracy, regardless of their source.”

The protest followed the US’s seizure of the crude oil tanker Skipper off the Venezuelan coast.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that American forces had taken control of the vessel, which was reportedly carrying around two million barrels of heavy crude, adding, “I assume we’re going to keep the oil.”

The operation was carried out using helicopters launched from the USS Gerald Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, which was deployed to the Caribbean last month. According to reports, the seizure involved US Coast Guard personnel, Marines, and special forces.

Caracas denounced the move as “a grave international crime,” describing it as “a blatant theft and an act of international piracy.” Venezuelan authorities said the country’s oil and energy resources “belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people,” condemning Washington for seeking to appropriate them through military force.

US officials claimed the tanker, which has been under American sanctions since 2022, was part of an illicit oil network supporting foreign militant groups.

The seizure came amid an expanded US military presence in the Caribbean, where Washington has reported multiple operations against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in recent months.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has urged vigilance against US efforts to undermine Venezuelan sovereignty through sanctions and military pressure.

Analysts cited across media reports have linked the tanker seizure to Washington’s broader regional strategy, while critics have described recent US operations in the Caribbean as unlawful.