U.S. Moves to Seize Sanctioned Tanker and $150M Oil Cargo

In a significant escalation of U.S. sanctions enforcement, the Department of Justice has filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking to permanently seize the motor tanker Skipper and its roughly 1.8 million-barrel cargo of Venezuelan crude oil. According to the report from gCaptain, the move marks the latest action in Washington's expanding crackdown on oil shipments tied to Iran and Venezuela's 'shadow fleet'. The Skipper, which is owned by a Liberian company, was previously sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for allegedly engaging in the illicit transfer of Venezuelan oil. The civil forfeiture complaint alleges the cargo aboard the Skipper is subject to forfeiture based on violations of U.S. sanctions on the Venezuelan regime of Nicolas Maduro. If successful, it would represent one of the largest seizures of Venezuelan crude by the U.S. government to date. The development underscores the Biden administration's continued focus on disrupting oil trade flows that provide revenue to the Maduro government, which the U.S. no longer recognizes as the legitimate ruler of Venezuela. It also signals Washington's willingness to aggressively target the complex web of ship-to-ship transfers and other tactics used by Venezuela and Iran to evade sanctions.