January 2, 2026 - More oil tankers are avoiding Venezuela due to threats from the US to seize vessels carrying oil that supports the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

At least seven ships have turned back or paused at sea, according to data tracked by Bloomberg on Friday. This comes in addition to four ships that diverted their routes right after US forces boarded the vessel Skipper in mid-December.

US President Donald Trump has claimed that Venezuela uses its oil profits to fund criminal activities, including drug trafficking and terrorism. As part of his pressure campaign, US forces have conducted strikes on boats suspected of drug trafficking, resulting in over 100 deaths, and have seized two oil tankers. The seized vessels, Skipper and Centuries, are currently anchored off the coast of Texas.

Venezuela has rejected these accusations and called the US actions illegal.

In a further escalation, the US reported a strike on a facility in Venezuela allegedly used for drug trafficking. It has also imposed sanctions on four Chinese companies and four vessels involved in the trade of Venezuelan crude oil.

The vessels avoiding Venezuelan waters can carry a total of 12.4 million barrels of crude oil. Four have redirected their paths, while three others have stopped at sea, according to the data. With ships steering clear of Venezuela, its storage tanks are filling up, prompting the state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA to shut down some oil wells. Production in the crucial Orinoco basin, where most of the country’s oil is sourced, dropped by 25% on December 29 compared to mid-December levels.

Any delays in oil exports put even more pressure on Venezuela's struggling economy, which has already suffered from seven years of US oil sanctions. Oil is vital for the Venezuelan economy, funding essentials like food and medicine.

Meanwhile, US oil giant Chevron Corp is still lifting Venezuelan crude under a license received from the US Treasury Department.