Through an official communiqué, the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela formally denounced the seizure of a private vessel transporting Venezuelan crude oil. The action, attributed to United States military personnel, allegedly occurred in international waters. The same document reports the forced disappearance of the entire crew of the vessel.
The communiqué, released by the Executive Vice President and Minister of People’s Power for Petroleum, Delcy Rodríguez, specifies that this act constitutes a crime according to Article 3 of the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation. The official text also describes the incident as a violation of Article 2 of the United Nations Charter, the Geneva Convention on the High Seas, and the principles of international law concerning friendly relations between states.
In its strongest terms, the government’s document rejects what it describes as a colonialist practice: «The colonialist model that the United States government intends to impose with these types of practices will fail and will be defeated by the Venezuelan people,» as is textually affirmed in the official communiqué.
Finally, the communiqué reaffirms the sovereign stance of the Venezuelan State, declaring that Venezuela «will continue with its economic growth, based on its 14 economic engines and the development of its hydrocarbon industry in an independent and sovereign manner.» The declaration concludes by emphasizing the determination to continue national development in the face of the actions it denounces.
Following, the full text of the communiqué:
“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela denounces and categorically rejects the theft and seizure of a private vessel carrying Venezuelan oil, as well as the forced disappearance of its crew, perpetrated by military personnel of the United States of America in international waters.
This grave act of piracy constitutes a flagrant commission of the crime stipulated in Article 3 of the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation of 1988, as well as a blatant violation of Article 2 of the United Nations Charter, Article 2 of the Geneva Convention on the High Seas, and the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States, among other applicable norms of International Law.
The colonialist model that the Government of the United States intends to impose with these types of practices will fail and will be defeated by the Venezuelan people. Venezuela will continue its economic growth, rooted on its 14 engines and the development of its hydrocarbon industry in an independent and sovereign manner.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reaffirms that these acts will not go unpunished and will take all appropriate actions, including the denounce before the United Nations Security Council, other multilateral organizations, and the governments of the world. International Law will prevail, and those responsible for these serious acts will answer to justice and to history for their criminal conduct”.
Caracas, December 20, 2025