Oil supertanker Skipper, seized by US near Venezuela, heading to Houston, sources say
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A satellite image showing the very large crude carrier Skipper off Port Jose, Venezuela, in November 2025.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- US seized the oil supertanker Skipper near Venezuela, escalating tensions with Caracas, as part of pressure against President Maduro.
- The Skipper, falsely flying Guyana's flag, carries about 1.85 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey heavy crude.
- The tanker is heading to Houston but is too large for the port, requiring cargo offloading to smaller ships.
AI generated
HOUSTON – The oil supertanker Skipper, which was seized by the US
The very large crude carrier – which is carrying about 1.85 million barrels of Venezuela’s Merey heavy crude, according to satellite images analysed by TankerTrackers.com – is too large to enter the Houston port and will need to anchor nearby and offload the cargo to smaller ships, the sources added.
The Houston-Galveston sector of the US Coast Guard and Port Houston did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA, the cargo’s seller, did not reply to a request for comment.
US Attorney-General Pam Bondi said this week the tanker was intercepted and retained under a seizure warrant.
Guyana’s maritime authority said it was falsely flying the country’s flag.
The seizure of the sanctioned oil tanker has sharply escalated tensions between Washington and Caracas.
Washington is preparing to intercept more ships
