Trump blockades oil tankers near Venezuela — what does that mean?
2:32A U.S. military helicopter hovers above the Panama-flagged Centuries, which was apprehended by the U.S. Coast Guard, shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump declared a “blockade” on all sanctioned oil tankers entering and exiting Venezuela, east of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea on December 20, 2025. Department Of Homeland Security/via Reuters
Last week, President Donald Trump proclaimed a "complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela," intensifying the pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s regime as 15,000 U.S. troops and 11 warships are poised in nearby waters — raising questions regarding the extent of this apparent escalation.
An naval blockade is viewed as an act of war under international law. However, Trump’s mention of "sanctioned" tankers suggests that U.S. operations would proceed as a law enforcement crackdown by the U.S. Coast Guard, which seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast last week and another over the weekend.
A Coast Guard interception is not classified as a military action; it is an enforcement of U.S. sanctions authorized by a court.
Retired Marine Corps Col. Steve Ganyard, a former State Department official and ABC News contributor, indicated that the president’s directives, shared on his social media platform, represent a legal quarantine — not a blockade — since the announcement pertains solely to legally sanctioned tankers.
A U.S. military helicopter flies over the Panama-flagged Centuries, which was intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard, shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump declared a “blockade” on all sanctioned oil tankers entering and exiting Venezuela, east of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea on December 20, 2025. Department Of Homeland Security/via Reuters
Nonetheless, Trump also labeled the Venezuelan regime as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), which could implicate any oil tanker that enters Venezuelan waters.
It was unclear how the administration could classify the government as terrorists — or if Trump was alluding to the Cartel de los Soles, which the administration has identified as a terrorist organization and claims is led by Maduro.
What effects could a quarantine or blockade have?
Trump’s announcement last week "leaves more questions than it answers," stated Clayton Seigle, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "What specifically are we going to do? How will we execute it?"
"None of that is particularly detailed," he noted.
Whether the heightened pressure will focus on sanctioned vessels — or all vessels — remains uncertain, but both strategies would affect Maduro, according to Seigle.
"If you halt all oil exports, along with the accompanying revenues — and that’s a significant if — then I believe within weeks, the regime in Caracas would encounter tremendous pressure," he remarked.
Should the U.S. continue to target only sanctioned tankers, "then I think that it could provide a more extended opportunity for the regime to negotiate, seek a compromise, or even plan a strategic exit."
The U.S. claims it has neutralized over 100 individuals in the 25 strikes it has conducted on suspected drug smuggling vessels since September.
Analysts have drawn parallels between President John F. Kennedy’s quarantine of Cuba in 1962 and Trump’s strategy — with unknown outcomes that present risks.
"What happens if a ship refuses to stop? This was the discussion during the Cuban Missile Crisis," Seigle said. "It’s all straightforward if they comply and allow themselves to be boarded."
"What if they don’t? Are you going to open fire? Will you sink ships?"
Sourse: abcnews.go.com