According to a document that was unveiled on Friday, the U.S. Government seized the M/T Skipper on Wednesday as a warrant signed by a judge was about to expire.

The warrant was signed on November 26 by U.S. Magistrate Zia Faruqui, and gave the Trump Administration until December 10, 2020 to seize this vessel. This is the first time that a Venezuelan oil cargo has been seized since U.S. sanctions have been in place since 2019.

The Skipper left Venezuela's main oil ports of Jose on December 4 and 5, after?loading about 1.8 million barrels Venezuela's Merey Heavy Crude.

The Trump administration claims that the M/T Skipper was used to transport oil sanctioned from Venezuela and Iran.

In a Friday statement, FBI Director Kash Patel said that the seizure of the vessel "highlights our successful efforts to impose cost on governments of Venezuela and Iran".

According to sources, the U.S. has been preparing more interceptions of ships carrying Venezuelan oil.

The accompanying affidavit was redacted despite the?unsealing of warrant. Faruqui stated that other documents will be 'under seal for a temporary period of time.

The Venezuelan government condemned the seizure of the vessel this week, and it was the latest in a series of tensions that have been growing between Washington DC and Caracas.

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Donald Trump has floated the idea of an American military intervention in Venezuela, as the U.S. continues its build-up of military forces around and in the Southern Caribbean.

(source: Reuters)