UN Security Council Session Highlights Global Pushback to U.S. Venezuela Oil Interdictions

Overview

• U.S. forces seized the Skipper on December 10 and the Centuries over the weekend, with officials alleging false identification and PDVSA-linked crude, even as Centuries reportedly did not appear on the public Treasury sanctions list.
• The tanker Bella 1, under U.S. sanctions since 2024 for prior Iran oil trades, refused a boarding order and was pursued into the Atlantic, with officials describing an active chase after the ship transmitted multiple distress alerts.
• At an emergency UN Security Council meeting, Russia and China denounced the U.S. seizures as violations of international law, while Brazil said the operations should cease immediately and offered to mediate between Washington and Caracas.
• Despite the crackdown, a Chevron-chartered vessel, Canopus Voyager, departed Venezuela carrying roughly 500,000 barrels to the United States under a U.S. license, underscoring parallel, permitted flows.
• The maritime campaign is also tied to U.S. anti-narcotics operations that have sunk small vessels since September, with more than 100 reported deaths and growing scrutiny over the legality of actions in international waters.