US forces seize 2nd oil tanker off coast of Venezuela

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Saturday that the U.S. forces seized another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela earlier in the day, reported Xinhua.

"In a pre-dawn action early this morning on Dec. 20, the US Coast Guard with the support of the Department of War apprehended an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela," Noem said on X.

The U.S. military seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Dec. 10, a move the Venezuelan government condemned as "a blatant theft and an act of international piracy."

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he has ordered a total blockade of all U.S.-sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. He also said in a later interview that the United States will continue seizing additional oil tankers.

Meanwhile, The Venezuelan government on Saturday denounced what it called a new "theft and kidnapping" of a private vessel transporting Venezuelan oil, along with the forced disappearance of its crew, allegedly carried out by U.S. military forces in international waters.

Authorities described the incident as an act of piracy that seriously violated international law and undermined fundamental principles of freedom of navigation and maritime trade.

According to an official statement, the action breached international legal instruments protecting maritime safety, as well as core norms enshrined in the UN Charter and other multilateral conventions.