Hundreds of Chavistas mobilized on Saturday in different parts of Caracas and in other regions of Venezuela to protest against the confiscation of an oil tanker by the United States, which maintains a military deployment in the Caribbean under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.

The Supporters of the ruling party gathered at various points in the Venezuelan capital to reject what they consider interference by the United States in the country and held small marches. The same scene was repeated in the states of Sucre and Monagas, both in the northeast of the country, according to the state channel Venezolana de Television (VTV). Iranian Oil Smuggling Last Tuesday, the United States intercepted the oil tanker Skipper, which was sailing under a false flag, off the coast of Venezuela, in a joint operation by the Department of Defense and the U.S. Coast Guard. The vessel was seized by order of a U.S. judge due to its previous links to the smuggling of Iranian oil, which is sanctioned by Washington. However, on this occasion, it was carrying 1.9 million barrels of crude oil from the state-owned PDVSA, according to the Venezuelan government, which did not specify the destination country.

“Outrageous Theft”

The Venezuelan government on Wednesday described the seizure as “outrageous theft,” and President Nicolas Maduro denounced that the ship's crew members are “missing.”

For its part, the White House indicated that the Skipper is undergoing “a confiscation process” and will be transferred to a U.S. port to proceed with the seizure of its cargo.

This event marks a new episode in the escalating tensions between Venezuela and the United States, which has maintained an air and naval deployment in the Caribbean since August. The U.S. claims the deployment is intended to combat drug trafficking, but Caracas interprets it as an attempt to bring about “regime change.”