The United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday, amid rising tensions between the administration and the South American nation.
“It’s been a very interesting day, from a news standpoint. As you probably know, we just seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela,” Trump said as he opened a roundtable at the White House.
“Actually, a big tanker, a very big one, the largest ever seized. And there are other things going on, so you’ll see it later and you’ll talk about it later with other people,” Trump continued.
President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, December 10, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
The seized tanker is known as a VLCC, or Very Large Crude Carrier, two sources told ABC News. VLCCs are large oil tankers and can carry up to about 2 million barrels of oil.
The ship was headed to Cuba, the sources said. The US Coast Guard carried out the seizure, according to two sources.
Trump remained silent when pressed for more details about the tanker during the roundtable, but said it happened for a “very good reason” and that the photos would be released later.
Asked what happens to the oil on the ship, Trump said the United States will probably keep it. When pressed further about who owns the tanker, Trump refused to answer.
Venezuela has the largest known oil reserves in the world and oil exports are the government’s main source of income.
Until now, the United States had not openly interfered with oil exports during its pressure campaign on Venezuela and the regime of President Nicolás Maduro.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
