A US military helicopter flying over the seized oil tanker Centuries that Venezuela condemned as an act of piracy. Photo: US Department of Homeland Security/Reuters.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)— The government of Venezuela issued a statement on Saturday night categorically condemning the theft and hijacking of another private oil tanker carrying Venezuelan oil and the forced disappearance of its crew, acts committed by US imperialism in international waters. Mainstream media reported Sunday that another oil tanker was under active pursuit near the Venezuelan coast.
The Venezuelan government described Saturday’s US operation as a serious act of piracy. It stated the act constitutes a crime under Article 3 of the 1988 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation and violates Article 2 of the United Nations Charter and Article 2 of the Geneva Convention on the High Seas.
“The colonialist model that the United States government is trying to impose with these kinds of practices will fail and be defeated by the Venezuelan people,” the statement emphasized.
Two ships targeted this weekend
Mainstream media reported that the oil tanker targeted Saturday, the Centuries, belongs to a Chinese company and was not on a list of US-sanctioned oil tankers. Washington, however, claimed Sunday that it was on that list, despite the fact that the list has no legal relevance for international dispute purposes.
Also on Sunday, media reported a possible third incident involving an oil tanker. Initial reports of a seizure were later updated to state that US forces were in “active pursuit” of a vessel. British maritime risk management group Vanguard and US sources identified the tanker as the Bella 1, a very large crude carrier allegedly added last year to a US sanctions list for links to Iran, Reuters reported.
According to reports, the Bella 1 was en route to Venezuela to load fuel, flies the Panamanian flag and is owned by a company called Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises. The tanker transported Venezuelan oil to China in 2021, according to internal documents from PDVSA, and had also previously carried Iranian crude, according to a vessel monitoring service cited by Reuters.
The full unofficial translation of the Venezuelan statement follows:
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela categorically denounces and rejects the theft and kidnapping of another private vessel transporting Venezuelan oil, as well as the forced disappearance of its crew, committed by military personnel of the United States of America in international waters.
This serious act of piracy constitutes a flagrant commission of the crime stipulated in Article 3 of the 1988 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, as well as a gross violation of Article 2 of the Charter of the United Nations, Article 2 of the Geneva Convention on the High Seas and the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation between States, among other applicable rules of International Law.
The colonialist model that the United States government seeks to impose through these practices will fail and be defeated by the Venezuelan people. Venezuela will continue its economic growth, based on its 14 key sectors and the independent and sovereign development of its hydrocarbon industry.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reaffirms that these acts will not go unpunished and will take all appropriate actions, including filing complaints with the United Nations Security Council, other multilateral organizations, and governments worldwide. International law will prevail, and those responsible for these grave acts will be held accountable before justice and history for their criminal conduct.
Caracas, December 20, 2025
PM Persad-Bissessar in trouble
Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, faces heavy internal scrutiny at all levels after supporting US operations in the region and criticizing other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries for not becoming US vassal states.
On Saturday, Persad-Bissessar declared that CARICOM “is not a reliable partner at the moment” and “has lost its way.” She said it is “an organization that chooses to belittle our greatest ally, the United States” while supporting Venezuela. The statement comes despite having Trinidadian nationals killed in the US military extrajudicial executions in the region. The prime minister added that her government “is not linked to the political ideologies or foreign, economic and security policies of any other CARICOM member government.”
CARICOM, a decades-old regional integration organization, has benefited Trinidadian trade for years. It is made up of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
On December 16, 2025, the US imposed partial visa restrictions on nationals from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and 13 other countries, citing alleged security risks effective January 1, 2026. While CARICOM urged a diplomatic resolution, Persad-Bissessar refused to join the effort, stating that sovereign choices bring consequences. Antigua’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne countered Sunday with trade data showing Trinidad’s $1.1 billion trade surplus with CARICOM. Opposition leader Keith Rowley blasted her as unpatriotic and accused her of transforming the island into a US vassal state.
Browne also questioned “an anonymous CARICOM leader,” stating, “I have been informed that one of our colleagues, instead of showing solidarity, publicly accused us of badmouthing the US. I challenge that leader to back up her statement with facts.”
As part of a US military deployment in the Caribbean, the Pentagon installed a radar system in Trinidad and Tobago, where marines are stationed and US military aircraft have access to the country’s airports while threatening to invade Venezuela. Some Trinidadians claim the US military presence at the ANR Robinson International Airport near Port of Spain resembles a US military base.
On Friday, in an attempt to ease internal political tension, Persad-Bissessar said in a speech that her government fully supports US actions. To justify her position, she suggested that hundreds of thousands of nationals could lose visa access to the US. She also claimed—without physical evidence, instead citing out-of-context statements by Venezuelan officials—that Venezuela threatens Trinidad and Tobago’s security and that the US is the only country that will defend them.
A “vassal state”
Persad-Bissessar’s latest statements provoked a response from former Prime Minister Keith Rowley, who denounced the head of government for trying to turn Trinidad and Tobago into a “vassal state.” He warned that the country’s sovereignty and national pride are being undermined.
In a public letter, Rowley stated that he is deeply disappointed by the way the country is being run. “I’ve lived here since 1962 and have always been tremendously proud of Trinidad and Tobago, and I still am. As a small nation, we held our heads high.” He accused Persad-Bissessar of acting without transparency or respect for national dignity, noting that during his term Trinidad and Tobago “always projected itself internationally as a safe and independent state.”
VP Delcy RodrĂguez: US Must Pay Venezuela Reparations for Stealing CITGO
“For me, it is horrifying to see a prime minister secretly and contemptuously turning proud Trinidad and Tobago into a vassal state,” Rowley added.
In questioning CARICOM’s unity, Persad-Bissessar alleged the group operates in a “dysfunctional and self-destructive manner” and is “seriously harming the peoples of the Caribbean.” This prompted the response from Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who defended the group as a “reliable partner” in economic and security matters. He said CARICOM is “an alliance rooted in a shared history of independence and a shared determination that small states are stronger when they act together.”
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/DZ
