HOUSTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) – The oil supertanker Skipper has been seized by the U.S. near Venezuela this week as part of efforts to increase pressure on President Nicolas Maduro. According to two sources, the tanker is now making its way to Houston.

This Very Large Crude Carrier is transporting around 1.85 million barrels of Venezuela's Merey heavy crude, as shown by satellite images from TankerTrackers.com. However, the ship is too large to dock at the Houston port and will have to anchor nearby, transferring its cargo to smaller vessels.

The Houston-Galveston sector of the U.S. Coast Guard and Port Houston did not respond to requests for comments. Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA, which sold the cargo, also did not comment.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated this week that the tanker was intercepted and held under a seizure warrant. Meanwhile, Guyana’s maritime authority reported that the vessel was improperly flying its flag.

The capture of this sanctioned oil tanker has heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas. Sources indicated that the U.S. is preparing to intercept more ships carrying Venezuelan oil.