The United States has intercepted an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in international waters, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed Saturday (December 20), a move that comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

British maritime risk management company Vanguard said the vessel was believed to be the Panama-flagged Centuries, which was intercepted east of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea.

Noem confirmed the Coast Guard intercepted a tanker that was last docked in Venezuela.

A video shared on Noem's social media account on X, accompanied by a statement, featured aerial footage of a helicopter approaching a vessel at sea. At one point in the video, the word "Centuries" could be seen on the side of the ship.

"The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region," she said in the statement. "We will find you, and we will stop you."

Reuters was able to confirm the vessel as Centuries from ship layout, superstructure, mast and funnel matching file images. Reuters was not able to confirm the date and location of the footage.

However, vessel tracking data puts the last known location of the ship about 60 kilometre north of curaçao on December 19 (Friday).

It’s the second time in recent weeks that the United States has gone after a tanker near Venezuela amid a large U.S. military build-up in the region.

Venezuela's oil ministry and state oil company PDVSA did not immediately reply to requests for comment. The Venezuelan government called the tanker interception a "serious act of international piracy."

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO WHICH U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM SAYS SHOWS U.S. COAST GUARD INTERCEPTING TANKER THAT WAS LAST DOCKED IN VENEZUELA / SCREENGRAB OF NOEM'S POST ON X CONFIRMING THE INTERCEPTION

Verification:

• Ship layout, superstructure, mast and funnel match file images

• Location and date not verified

• Vessel tracking data puts the last known location of the ship about 60 kilometre north of Curaçao

• British maritime risk management company Vanguard said the vessel was believed to be the Panama-flagged Centuries, which was intercepted east of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION (RELEASED DECEMBER 20, 2025) (KRISTI NOEM VIA X - Must on-screen courtesy 'Kristi Noem via X') (MUTE)

1. MONOCHROME AERIAL VIDEO OF HELICOPTER NEARING VESSEL

2. WHITE FLASH

3. MONOCHROME AERIAL VIDEO OF PERSON LOWERING ONTO VESSEL FROM HELICOPTER

4. MONOCHROME AERIAL VIDEO OF PERSON LANDING ON VESSEL

5. WHITE FLASH

6. VARIOUS OF MONOCHROME AERIAL VIDEO SHOWING PERSON STANDING ON VESSEL

7. MONOCHROME AERIAL VIDEO OF HELICOPTER TAKING OFF

8. WHITE FLASH

9. MONOCHROME AERIAL VIDEO OF HELICOPTER TAKING OFF

10. VARIOUS OF MONOCHROME AERIAL VIDEO SHOWING PERSON WALKING ON VESSEL

11. VARIOUS OF AERIAL VIDEO SHOWING HELICOPTER FLYING NEAR VESSEL OUT AT SEA

12. WHITE FLASH

13. AERIAL VIDEO OF VESSEL OUT AT SEA / HELICOPER FLYING NEARBY

14. AERIAL VIDEO OF VESSEL ON WATER

15. MONOCHROME AERIAL VIDEO OF VESSEL OUT AT SEA / HELICOPTER FLYING NEARBY

16. MONOCHROME AERIAL VIDEO OF VESSEL OUT AT SEA / COLOURED VIEW OF AERIAL VIDEO SHOWING VESSEL OUT AT SEA

17. AERIAL VIDEO SHOWING WORD ON SIDE OF SHIP, READING (English): “CENTURIES”

18. AERIAL VIDEO OF VESSEL OUT AT SEA

19. VARIOUS OF AERIAL VIDEO SHOWING HELICOPTER FLYING NEAR VESSEL OUT AT SEA

20. VARIOUS OF MONOCHROME AERIAL VIDEO SHOWING HELICOPTER FLYING NEAR VESSEL

21. MONOCHROME AERIAL VIDEO OF PERSON STANDING ON VESSEL UNDER HELICOPTER

22. VARIOUS OF MONOCHROME AERIAL VIDEO SHOWING HELICOPTER FLYING AWAY FROM VESSEL

INTERNET (DECEMBER 21, 2025) (SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE – Access all) (MUTE)

23. SCREENGRAB FROM U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM’S SOCIAL MEDIA POST ON X, READING (English): “In a pre-dawn action early this morning on Dec. 20, the US Coast Guard with the support of the Department of War apprehended an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela.

The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region. We will find you, and we will stop you.

Thank you to our brave men and women of the @USCG and @DeptofWar.”