US seeks forfeiture of oil tanker and 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan oil

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The United States is seeking the forfeiture of Motor Tanker Skipper, an oil tanker seized by the U.S. in December, and 1.8 million barrels of crude oil cargo supplied by Venezuelan state-run company PDVSA, the Justice Department said on Friday.

In its complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the department alleged a scheme dating to 2021 to facilitate the shipment and sale of petroleum products to benefit Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is under U.S. sanctions.

It said the Skipper moved crude oil from Iran and Venezuela during this time. A confidential informant told the U.S. government that the tanker has loaded seven million barrels of crude oil originating in Iran over the past two years, according to the complaint.

"The Skipper disguised its illicit activities by spoofing its locations, flying false flags and employing other tactics to obfuscate its routes and conceal its sanctions evasion," the department said.

The oil supertanker was seized by the U.S. near Venezuela in December as part of a pressure strategy against President Nicolas Maduro, who was captured in a U.S. military operation on January 3. The Skipper at the time was flying the flag of Guyana, but the U.S. complaint alleges it was not legitimately flagged to the South American country.

Crew members told U.S. authorities after the seizure that the supertanker was initially bound for Cuba, but personnel were later told to immediately reroute to an unspecified country in Asia, according to the complaint.

Trump officials have been pressing an interim administration in Caracas to allow U.S. firms access to oil and to instigate reforms since the U.S. military launched the attack on Venezuela.

"Under President Trump's leadership, the era of secretly bankrolling regimes that pose clear threats to the United States is over,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in the statement.

“This Department of Justice will deploy every legal authority at our disposal to completely dismantle and permanently shutter any operation that defies our laws and fuels chaos across the globe.”