Working Conditions Aboard the Skipper

**Title: U.S. Court Approves Sale of Seized VLCC 'Skipper' and Its Cargo** In a significant legal development, the seized Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) 'Skipper' is set to be sold along with its cargo following a U.S. court ruling. The 'Skipper', which became the first VLCC to be confiscated by U.S. authorities on December 10, 2025, is now slated for an expedited sale. On March 12, the U.S. filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking permission for an interlocutory sale—critical action considering the mounting expenses associated with retaining the vessel and its oil cargo. The court was informed that the ongoing costs of maintenance and storage could erode the value of the oil and the ship itself. Built in 2005 and having operated within the shadow fleet since 2022, the 'Skipper' has been languishing in the anchorage off Texas since its seizure. The vessel, which has since been determined to have serious safety deficiencies, required extensive repairs valued at $47 million. Furthermore, it was operationally unsuitable for entry into the Houston Ship Channel due to its size. Over the next two months, expected expenditures could rise by an additional $5 million to cover insurance, crew necessities, and weather-related factors. Daily costs amount to approximately $15,000 for the onshore storage of the oil, translating to $450,000 each month. Current estimates put the market value of the 'Skipper' at $10 million, while the oil cargo—comprising around 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan crude—holds a valuation between $120 to $135 million, fluctuating based on quality and market conditions. The forfeiture case, initiated on February 26, resulted in the court issuing an arrest warrant for both the vessel and its cargo the very next day. The Venezuelan oil, loaded in mid-November, primarily destined for Cuba, has since been moved to an onshore facility pending the court's resolution. The 'Skipper' posed as a Guyanese-flagged vessel, a representation that has been proven false, as it has lacked a valid registry since 2022 when its classification was revoked. Its last inspection was recorded in 2019, and ownership is traced back to a Nigerian corporation. The U.S. government's proposed order would empower it to reach out to potential buyers for both the vessel and its valuable cargo. Should a satisfactory offer materialize, the sale could proceed, with proceeds being held in an interest-bearing account until the conclusion of the forfeiture case.

**Title: U.S. Justice Department Moves to Seize 'Skipper' Tanker and 1.8 Million Barrels of Oil** In a decisive legal maneuver, the U.S. Department of Justice has initiated a civil lawsuit aiming to seize the tanker 'Skipper' and approximately 1.8 million barrels of oil. This action comes on the heels of the vessel's interception in December 2025, with allegations suggesting its involvement in funding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its elite Quds Force. Previously identified as the 'Adisa', the 'Skipper' employed various concealment strategies, including false flags and manipulated navigation systems, to illicitly transport crude oil from Venezuela and Iran to prohibited regions, including Syria and Cuba. Investigations pointed to the vessel refueling at Venezuela’s José Terminal shortly before its apprehension by U.S. authorities at sea. Prosecutors assert that the financial gains from these operations have contributed to arms proliferation and increased instability in the region. By targeting the 'Skipper', federal agencies, including the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), are emphasizing the seriousness of enforcing trade sanctions. Following its seizure, the 'Skipper' has been secured at the Texas coast while the U.S. District Court in Columbia reviews the forfeiture case. Court documents indicate that a significant portion of the tanker’s cargo was intended for Cubametales, a state-run oil company in Cuba. As of March 3, the 'Skipper' remains anchored in the Gulf of Mexico, specifically at coordinates 28° 35' N 094° 39' W, near Houston.

The 'Skipper' may have been trying to hide its position in the past. From October until as late as Dece 4, satellite images showed the ship was in Venezuela, while its transponder showed on several occasions that it was off Guyana and Suriname. The ship has been on the US sanctions list since 2022 for being part of an “international oil smuggling network”. From February to July of this year, the tanker allegedly transported nearly two million barrels of oil from Iran to China. The ship was classified in 2021 as part of the global shadow fleet and has since transported about 13 million barrels of oil from Iran and Venezuela. Report with photos: https://militarnyi.com/en/news/how-a-u-s-blacklisted-tanker-bypassed-the-blockade-of-venezuela/

The Americans intend to bring the seized "Skipper" to a US port. The US government will also confiscate the crude oil on board, The tanker was carrying approximately 1.1 million barrels of crude oil. According to the government in Washington, the tanker was being used illegally to transport "sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran." The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry in turn accused the US of an "act of international piracy." According to the White House, the tanker is known to be part of a shadow fleet that delivers black market oil to the Revolutionary Guard in Iran. The ship was on a sanctions list and the Justice Department has requested its seizure. A statement of the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt did not clarify why Venezuela would supply oil to the Revolutionary Guard. Iran produces its own oil and possesses significant oil reserves. However, the incident represented a further escalation in the conflict between the two countries. Since September, the administration of Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked boats allegedly used by drug traffickers in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific. At least 87 people have been killed in these attacks. The US has not presented any evidence linking the sunken boats to drug smuggling. International law experts considered the action illegal. The government in Washington accuses Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a cartel that smuggles drugs into the US. Maduro accuses Trump of wanting to overthrow him in order to gain access to Venezuelan oil reserves, an accusation the US president denies. US President Donald Trump reiterated his threat of military strikes by land. The US would soon begin attacks to intercept drug shipments en route to the US, Trump told at the White House. The security company Ambrey deemed it as likely that Iran would retaliate for the seizure. Ships affiliated with the United States in the Arabian/Persian Gulf and the Sea of ​​Oman were considered to be at increased risk, especially loaded crude oil tankers, the company wrote in a new risk assessment. Ambrey also estimates that it was likely that the United States would continue to seize other tankers carrying Venezuelan oil. The tanker began moving on Dec 10 at 10:38 UTC p.m. and changed course on Dec 11 at 11:35 a.m. UTC, shortly before updating her reported draught from 12m to 21.4 metres. At 2:25 p.m. UTC, the 'Skipper' came into close proximity with a US Coast Guard vessel.

The U.S. has seized the ' Skipper' off the coast of Venezuela on Dec 10, 2025. No one was injured in the action, which took place in international waters.The seizure could signal intensifying efforts to go after Venezuela's oil, the country's main source of revenue. Brent crude prices inched higher on Dec 10 as news of the seizure stoked short-term supply concerns. Analysts warned that the move could threaten shippers and further disrupt Venezuela's oil exports. It was the first known action against an oil tanker since US president Trump ordered a massive U.S. military build-up in the region and carried out strikes against suspected drug vessels, operations that have raised concerns among Democratic lawmakers and legal experts. The helicopters used in the operation launched from the USS 'Gerald R. Ford', which was sent to the Caribbean in November. It involved two helicopters, a Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT) of ten men, which led the boarding operation, and ten Marines, as well as special forces. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the US Coast Guard co-ordinated the seizure. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the tanker for what Washington said was involvement in Iranian oil trading when it was called the 'Adisa'. The tanker has been sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury since November 2022. The tanker has been involved in high-risk dark fleet operations, and loaded crude oil multiple times at ports in Venezuela and Iran with a two-month AIS blackout in Iranian waters. The vessel has also carried out dark fleet STS transfers in the Red Sea, as well as in Iranian and Syrian zones, alongside a pattern of repeated AIS-spoofing events. The seizure occurred while the 'Skipper' was flying a false flag, the Guyanese one, since it is actually registered in the Marshall Islands On its last voyage, the 'Skipper' had left Venezuela's main oil port of José between Dec 4 and 5, carrying approximately 1.1 million barrels Merey heavy crude, headed to Cuba. The vessel had been transmitting falsified AIS positions during the loading operation. According to US Attorney General Pam Bondi, the ship belongs to a network that supports foreign terrorist organisations, which according to the US government legitimised the action, stating: "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." When sailing as 'Adisa', the VLCC was controlled by the Triton Navigation Corporation., a subsidiary of the Centrum Maritime, both part of an intricate web of shell companies managed by the Ukrainian national Viktor Artemov. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated the vessel under Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorist organizations. Artemov’s network operated through dozens of shell companies registered in jurisdictions including the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, and Singapore. The operation used storage facilities in the Port of Sharjah to blend Iranian oil with products of Indian origin, then created counterfeit certificates of origin before selling the oil abroad. The 'Adisa' was one of nine vessels specifically identified in the sanctions as being controlled through Artemov’s network. The smuggling network involved several key players such as the Iranian national Edman Nafrieh, who oversaw blending and exportation operations, receiving orders from high-ranking Iranian officials to direct profits to Hezbollah and IRGC-QF bank accounts. Rouzbeh Zahedi coordinated oil transport and fund procurement; and Mohamed El Zein, identified as a Hezbollah member, used forged invoices to conceal financial transactions. The 'Skipper' had been operating in Iranian waters near Kharg Island since late 2024. The vessel last loaded crude oil at Iran’s Kharg Island in Feb and July 2025, subsequently transferring its cargo to another tanker near Hong Kong, with that Iranian oil eventually delivered to a refinery in Yantai. It had loaded approximately 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude from the port of Jose between Dec 4 and 5, transferring about 200,000 barrels to another vessel, which was bound for Cuba, before the U.S. interdiction. Kpler Risk and Compliance had previously rated the tanker as high risk based on consistent deceptive practices, including false reflagging, AIS spoofing, and an STS transfer with the 'Neptune 6' on Dec 6, —itself identified as one of the highest-risk vessels in Kpler’s tracking system. Following the 2022 sanctions, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) had added the ''Adisa' to its “Ghost Armada” list of vessels evading American sanctions on Iran. The advocacy group praised the seizure as a “warning shot” to Iran’s shadow fleet. According to the IMO GISIS database, the 'Skipper' was also falsely flying the Guyana flag and was therefore a stateless vessel. UANI praised Guyana for notifying the International Maritime Organization that it de-listed the ship following the UANI listing and American sanctions. Report and video: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1w9lg11jw0o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am0gbiguuUM

Greece’s Altomare has acquired 2005-built 310,300 dwt Imabari VLCC Toyo, according to broking sources. Altomare has taken the Toyo from Japan’s NYK according to both Seasure Shipbroking and Advanced Shipping & Trading, however Seasure reports the deal at $28m while Advanced says the deal was done at $29.5m. VesselsValue places a market value of $30.4m on the tanker, which has a survey due in January.