Oil tanker loading in Venezuela fell sharply on Monday, with most vessels shifting cargoes only between domestic ports, after the United States moved against additional ships linked to Venezuelan crude exports and as state oil company PDVSA struggled to recover from a recent cyberattack, according to shipping data and industry sources.
The slowdown follows stepped-up U.S. enforcement actions this month, including the seizure of a sanctioned supertanker carrying Venezuelan oil and attempted interceptions of two other vessels over the weekend. U.S. authorities said one of the targeted ships was an empty tanker under sanctions, while the other was an unsanctioned, fully loaded vessel bound for China. Washington has not released further details on the incidents, but vessel owners and traders remain on edge after President Donald Trump announced a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.
Panama’s Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha said in a televised interview on Monday that the supertanker Centuries, which was flying Panama’s flag when intercepted on Saturday, had violated maritime regulations. He said the vessel altered its name and switched off its transponder while carrying Venezuelan oil, actions that could lead to the cancellation of its registry if confirmed by an investigation.
The latest actions are part of a broader U.S. pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro that includes an increased U.S. military presence in the region. U.S. officials say more than two dozen strikes have been carried out against vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking in waters near Venezuela, resulting in at least 100 deaths. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Washington’s objective was regional security, adding that the current situation with Venezuela’s government was “intolerable” for the United States.
The vessel interceptions represent the most severe disruption to PDVSA’s exports since 2020, when U.S. sanctions on oil trading units linked to Russia’s Rosneft forced sharp production and export cuts. The renewed pressure has raised concerns about global supply, pushing oil prices higher. Brent crude rose 2.4% to $61.94 a barrel on Monday, while U.S. WTI crude climbed 2.4% to $57.89, supported by fears of supply disruptions tied to Venezuela and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Internal PDVSA documents showed that as of Monday the company had delivered a 1.9 million-barrel cargo of heavy crude to the Aruba-flagged, sanctioned tanker Azure Voyager at the Jose port. No other supertankers bound for Asia were scheduled to load in the near term. The number of loaded vessels unable to depart has risen in recent days, leaving millions of barrels of Venezuelan crude stuck offshore as buyers demand deeper discounts and revised contract terms to compensate for the risks of shipping Venezuelan oil.
Shipping data also showed that several tankers approaching Venezuela, either to load oil for export or to deliver imported naphtha, have turned back or paused operations while awaiting instructions from owners. The uncertainty has been compounded by PDVSA’s efforts to restore systems following a cyberattack last week. The company has reverted to paper records in some areas and has not fully restored its central administrative platform, with sources saying some workers have yet to receive salaries on time.
Venezuela’s oil ministry and PDVSA did not respond to requests for comment. Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said on Monday that U.S. seizures violated international law and amounted to “acts of piracy,” a view echoed by China’s foreign ministry, which described the interceptions as a serious breach of international norms.
Despite the disruption, exports authorized under U.S. licenses have continued. PDVSA’s main joint-venture partner Chevron shipped a 500,000-barrel cargo to the U.S. Gulf Coast on Sunday, according to vessel tracking data. Venezuela’s oil minister Delcy Rodríguez said deliveries to Chevron had not been interrupted. Chevron has exported seven cargoes this month, each ranging between 300,000 and 500,000 barrels.
Meanwhile, the empty supertanker Bella 1, which the U.S. Coast Guard attempted to intercept on Sunday, was drifting northeast of Bermuda on Monday, according to satellite imagery. A U.S. official said the vessel had not been boarded and that interceptions can take multiple forms, including close aerial or maritime monitoring.
The tanker Skipper, the first vessel seized by U.S. authorities this month, has reached waters near Galveston, Texas, to transfer its cargo, maritime sources said. Guyana previously said the ship had falsely claimed its flag. Together, Skipper, Centuries and Bella 1 have transported about 41 million barrels of crude and fuel oil from Iran and Venezuela in recent years, according to TankerTrackers.com, underscoring the scale of flows now under U.S. scrutiny.
