Last Updated on Thursday, 11 December 2025, 0:08 by Writer
Director-General of the Maritime Administration (MARAD), Stephen Thomas said a vessel named Skipper is not registered in Guyana, in the wake of the United States’ (US) Coast Guard’s seizure on Wednesday of an oil tanker bearing that name and the Guyana flag.
In a statement subsequently, MARAD stated that after the US informed Guyana about the tanker flying the Guyana flag, it was found that the vessel was falsely doing so.
“Today, the Government of the United States of America (USA) informed the Guyana Maritime Administration Department that they have encountered the Motor Tanker SKIPPER (ex-ADISA), IMO Number 9304667 in International Waters. It was falsely flying the Guyana Flag, as it is not registered in Guyana.”
Reuters news agency reported that the US has imposed sanctions on the tanker for what Washington said was involvement in Iranian oil trading when it was called the Adisa.
MARAD said it observed the proliferation and unacceptable trend of the unauthorised use of the Guyana flag by vessels that are not registered in Guyana.
The maritime regulator said it would continue to reach out to and work with international partners and other maritime agencies to identify, pursue, and take firm action against any unauthorised use of the Guyana flag.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday boasted that the Skipper was the largest crude tanker ever seized by American authorities.
The BBC posted video of US military personnel boarding the vessel.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Wednesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the US Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
“For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations. This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely—and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues,” Ms Bondi said on X.
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government called the seizure of the vessel “piracy”.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes a blatant theft and an act of international piracy.
The Nicolás Maduro administration said there was now mounting evidence that the Trump administration’s goal is to take control of Venezuela’s oil that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people. “Venezuela calls on all Venezuelans to stand firm in defense of the homeland and urges the international community to reject this vandalistic, illegal, and unprecedented aggression that seeks to normalize itself as a tool of pressure and plunder.”
