What we know about the skipper is the oil tanker seized by the US near Venezuela

The US hold a 20 year old oil tank The skipper was called to the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, three sources familiar with the matter told CBS News, after months of investigation by Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The takeover was initially announced by President Trump during a related White House event on Wednesday. Here’s what we know about the boat and the operation:

The takeover included special operations forces and 2 helicopters

The operation to seize the tanker first began around 6 a.m. Wednesday, after the boat had just left a port in Venezuela, according to a senior military official and a source familiar with the operation.

Shipments were launched from USS Gerald R. FordThe aircraft carrier has been in the area for weeks as part of a broader buildup of US forces in the region, sources told CBS News.

It involved two helicopters, special operations forces, 10 members of the US Guard and 10 Marines, the sources said. The boarding team was formed by the Marine Guard Development security team and the ELTIME Interdiction unit in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Attorney General Pam Bondi posted a 45-second video of the operation on X, showing armed personnel in a recovery plan in tow of a helicopter. He said that the US had executed a warrant of seizure on the container, and that the tank “was used to transport oil produced in Venezuela and Iran.”

The government of Venezuela said in a statement that “we strongly suspect and further deny the unprovoked evil and acts of robbery in other countries.”

While the US Government – especially the Department of Justice and Helicand Security Investigations – seized the oil tanks found earlier, running fast cables from the numbers in the sea, or it is a group of private pets, said American officials.

The operation was led by the Coast Guard, supported by the Navy, officials told CBS News. Any such operation would legally require the Coast Guard to be the lead agency because the authorities used for these attacks are under the jurisdiction of the coast.

Tanker was approved by the Treasury years ago

Skipper was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in 2022 for his alleged role in the oil smuggling network that helped finance the Iranian revolution Change the corpses and Hezbollah, the Lebanese military group, the Lebanese Hilitant group is sponsored by Iran.

The vessel – known as Adisa 2022 – is among the vessels controlled by Russian Oil Artemov, the financier said in a statement. At the time, the Treasury said Artemov transported Iranian oil using an extensive network of vessels that were often registered under covert means for the purpose of being exported to the US at the Iranian Petroleum Expoleum.

The 2022 Treasury Board announcement does not mention Venezuela. But oil networks involving both Iran and Venezuela have been reported for years, drawing back the United States. Both countries are major oil producers with the largest oil reserves in the world, but trade is limited by heavy water.

The tanker is managed by a management company based in Nigeria

The ship is 20 years old, originally sailing under the name Toyo in 2005. At 333 meters (about 1,092 meters) in length, it was one of the largest tanks in the world at the time it was built.

Bondi said the vessel was sanctioned “because of its involvement in a legal oil shipping network that supports foreign terrorist organizations.”

“This formation, finished off the coast of Venezuela, was carried out safely and securely – and our investigation and the Ministry of National Security to prevent the transportation of oil is approved,” said the General.

The Venezuelan government called the seizure of “shameless looting and foreign looting” in a statement.