The United States has conducted a second major seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker in waters off Venezuela, dramatically escalating tensions in the region and drawing a stark warning from Brazil's leader against military action.
Operation 'Centuries': Details of the Latest Seizure
On Saturday 20 December 2025, US forces, led by the Coast Guard with military helicopter support, boarded and seized the oil tanker Centuries. US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem confirmed the operation on social media platform X, stating the vessel had last docked in Venezuela.
In her post, Secretary Noem declared: "The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region. We will find you, and we will stop you." Footage shared from the raid showed a helicopter landing on the ship's deck.
A US official, speaking anonymously, described the incident as a "consented boarding," indicating the tanker stopped voluntarily to allow American forces aboard. The Panama-flagged vessel had recently been tracked near the Venezuelan coast by maritime data services.
Brazil's President Lula Sounds the Alarm
The seizure prompted an immediate and forceful response from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Speaking at a summit of the South American Mercosur trade bloc, he cautioned the US against an "armed intervention in Venezuela," which he said would be a "humanitarian catastrophe."
President Lula invoked the history of the region, referencing the 1982 Falklands War and stating that "the South American continent is once again haunted by the military presence of an extra-regional power." He argued that US intervention would set a "dangerous precedent for the world."
A Region Under Mounting Pressure
This latest seizure follows the US capture of another sanctioned tanker, the Skipper, just last week. In response, a significant "shadow fleet" of tankers, estimated to number over 70 vessels in Venezuelan waters with 38 under US Treasury sanctions, is now effectively stranded, fearing interception.
The actions are part of a broader US strategy to increase pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. US President Donald Trump has branded Maduro's regime "illegitimate" and a "foreign terrorist organisation," accusing it of involvement in the drugs trade.
President Trump announced a "TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE" of all sanctioned oil tankers moving in and out of Venezuela, claiming the country is "completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America." President Maduro, in turn, accuses the US of attempting to overthrow him to seize Venezuela's vast oil reserves.
The situation creates a volatile standoff, with regional leaders like Lula deeply concerned about the potential for a broader conflict and its devastating human cost.
