The U.S. government has seized an oil tanker operating near Venezuela’s northern coast, marking a significant enforcement step in its efforts to restrict illicit oil shipments. The vessel, identified as the MV Amethyst, was intercepted on December 9, 2025, and is now under federal control.
- U.S. seized the MV Amethyst, a 220,000-dwt tanker, off Venezuela’s coast on December 9, 2025.
- The vessel carried approximately 1.2 million barrels of crude oil from Venezuelan offshore fields.
- The seizure was based on violations of IEEPA and sanctions targeting PDVSA and unauthorized oil exports.
- The tanker altered its AIS signals, a tactic commonly used in sanctioned oil trafficking.
- This marks the 15th major seizure since 2022, with cumulative value exceeding $1.8 billion.
- The Dubai-based operator and associated Venezuelan-linked entities are now under investigation.
U.S. enforcement agencies have taken custody of the MV Amethyst, a 220,000-dwt oil tanker flagged under a Liberian registry, following its detection in international waters approximately 120 nautical miles off Venezuela’s coast. The seizure followed a coordinated operation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Justice, which cited violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and sanctions against Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA. The MV Amethyst was carrying an estimated 1.2 million barrels of crude oil, most of which originated from Venezuela’s offshore oil fields. U.S. officials stated the cargo was being transported without proper licensing or compliance with U.S. sanctions, and that the vessel had altered its Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals to avoid detection. This behavior aligns with patterns observed in sanctioned oil trafficking networks, particularly those involving intermediaries in the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. The action underscores heightened scrutiny of maritime routes used to export Venezuelan crude despite ongoing sanctions. Since 2022, U.S. authorities have seized or disrupted over 14 oil shipments valued at more than $1.8 billion in illicit exports, with a significant portion linked to vessels using ghost signals and flag changes to evade monitoring. The seizure affects not only the vessel’s operators, a Dubai-based shipping firm with ties to a Venezuelan-registered holding company, but also global oil traders involved in the supply chain. Market analysts note that such enforcement could tighten supply flows, particularly in the Atlantic Basin, where Venezuelan crude has increasingly found buyers in Asia and Latin America.