Venezuela’s government has begun providing naval escorts for some export-linked vessels as President Donald Trump moves to tighten maritime pressure on Caracas with what he calls a “total and complete” blockade targeting U.S.-sanctioned oil tankers, a step that POLITICO framed as an escalation of Washington’s campaign against President Nicolás Maduro.

The immediate backdrop is the U.S. seizure of the tanker Skipper. In a warrant release, the U.S. Department of Justicesaid the Coast Guard boarded and seized the crude oil tanker on Dec. 10 after it departed Venezuela. The boarding itself was unusually kinetic for a sanctions case: CBS News, citing U.S. officials and sources familiar with the operation, reported the seizure involved two helicopters, special operations forces, Coast Guard personnel and Marines, and included a helicopter fast-rope descent onto the vessel.

What the shipping data shows

Ship-tracking data and internal PDVSA documents cited by Reuters show at least two byproduct tankers departed José on Wednesday with cargoes including methanol and petroleum coke; the report said the vessels were not under U.S. sanctions and were headed for Europe and South America.”

What PDVSA is saying

In industry coverage, Splash247 quoted PDVSA as saying vessels connected to its operations are continuing to sail “with full security, technical support and operational guarantees in legitimate exercise of their right to free navigation.”

What Trump said about a “blockade”

Trump’s blockade language — aimed at sanctioned tankers — was reported by POLITICO, which linked the remarks to a Trump post on Truth Social and quoted him claiming Venezuela was “completely surrounded” and demanding the return of oil and other assets he said were stolen.

Analysts say the practical impact will depend on enforcement boundaries: the Atlantic Council noted that the president referred to a blockade of “sanctioned” vessels and argued that which ships Washington decides it has authority to stop or seize will shape both market effects and escalation risk.

Diplomatic pressure

As tensions rose, the United Nations said Secretary-General António Guterres told Maduro by phone that member states should respect international law, exert restraint and de-escalate tensions to preserve regional stability.

Bottom line

The U.S. has already demonstrated a willingness to enforce Venezuela-related sanctions through direct maritime action in the Skipper seizure, documented by the Justice Department and described by CBS News. With ship-tracking-based reporting showing continued departures from José despite the blockade threat, the escort moves increase the chance that future U.S. interdictions — if attempted — could intersect with Venezuelan naval protection for outbound traffic.