US seized tanker near Venezuela just as warrant was set to expire, court document shows

By Jasper Ward

The U.S. government carried out its seizure of the M/T Skipper off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday just as a judge-signed warrant was set to expire, according to the document which was unsealed on Friday.

The warrant, which was signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui on November 26, gave the Trump administration until December 10, 2025 to seize the vessel. The seizure is the first of a Venezuelan oil cargo amid U.S. sanctions that have been in force since 2019.

The Skipper left Venezuela's main oil port of Jose between December 4 and 5 after loading some 1.8 million barrels of Venezuela's Merey heavy crude.

The Trump administration has said the M/T Skipper was used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.

"The seizure of this vessel highlights our successful efforts to impose costs on the governments of Venezuela and Iran," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement on Friday.

Sources have told Reuters that the U.S. is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil.

Despite the unsealing of the warrant, the accompanying affidavit remained redacted. Faruqui said other documents in the case will remain under seal temporarily.

This week's seizure, which was condemned by the Venezuelan government, of the vessel was the latest escalation in growing tensions between Washington and Caracas.

In recent months, the U.S. had carried out several strikes against suspected drug vessels in the region - a move which has been condemned by U.S. lawmakers and legal experts.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly floated the possibility of a U.S. military intervention in Venezuela as the U.S. continues to build up its military forces in and around the Southern Caribbean.