US seizes oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, as ITV News Correspondent Robert Moore reports
By storming and detaining an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, the US is raising the stakes and adding to the mounting pressure on President Nicolás Maduro.
The dramatic video, released by the US Department of War, shows US troops – a team of special forces and Coast Guard specialists – rappelling from helicopters onto the deck.
They quickly took over the ship and its cargo of nearly two million barrels of crude oil.
There were no casualties and the crew put up no resistance.
The tanker, believed to be the Skipper, has long been thought to be involved in transporting oil from Venezuela and Iran, two countries heavily sanctioned by the US. It appears to be part of a global fleet of dark ships that operate clandestinely in sanctions-evading smuggling.
But there are more questions than answers this morning.
Was the action legal?
The Venezuelan authorities say it was an act of “barefaced robbery and international piracy”. US officials say a US judge signed a warrant, although reportedly that was several weeks ago and was in response to the ship’s role in smuggling Iranian – not Venezuelan – oil.
What happens to the oil now?
President Donald Trump suggested that the US now would own the oil. But it’s unclear whether that is legal.
The tanker appears to have been using a network of transponders to obscure the ship’s location and was carrying Venezuelan oil to Asia. It was also operating under a false flag. So this is a legal minefield.
What is the purpose of seizing the ship?
President Trump has accused Maduro of being a narco-terrorist. The US has mounted a campaign of military pressure in an attempt to force him from power. This adds to the pressure. Venezuela uses oil revenue to keep its economy intact.
What happens next?
It’s unclear whether Trump will order land strikes against Venezuelan military or drug targets and whether the US’ ultimate intention is regime change.
But the president said yesterday at the White House that “other things are happening”. He did not provide any details.
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