UANI Calls U.S. Seizure of Sanctions-Dodging SKIPPER a ‘Warning Shot’ to Iran’s Shadow Fleet

United Against Nuclear Iran, a U.S.-based advocacy group that tracks Tehran-linked shipping and sanctions evasion, has praised the Trump administration’s seizure of the Very Large Crude Carrier SKIPPER off the coast of Venezuela, calling it a significant step in combating illicit oil smuggling that funds authoritarian regimes in Iran and Venezuela.

The vessel, also known as ADISA, was intercepted following years of monitoring by UANI, which first added the tanker to its so-called “Ghost Armada” list in 2022 for evading American sanctions on Iran.The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned SKIPPER that same year for being part of an illicit oil smuggling network tied to Viktor Artemov, which funded the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah, both designated foreign terrorist organizations.

UANI Chairman Governor Jeb Bush and CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace released a statement applauding the action. “SKIPPER and tankers like it help bankroll both the brutal regimes in Iran and Venezuela through transport of illicit and U.S.-sanctioned oil,” they said, noting that UANI has long called for American interdictions of ships transporting blacklisted oil in defiance of U.S. sanctions.

The organization emphasized in 2023 that “interdictions should take place if the world has any chance of squeezing the Islamic Republic and its terror-financing oil wealth.”

Director of the UANI Tanker Tracking Program Charlie Brown described the seizure as a warning to the Iranian regime. “The U.S. seizure deprives the Maduro regime in Venezuela and Tehran of another vessel which keeps these authoritarian governments in power. President Trump’s bold decision will also send a warning shot to the Iranian regime that his administration is prepared to seize additional Ghost Armada tankers which are evading U.S. sanctions,” Brown said.

UANI called upon the Trump administration and other countries to sanction the “Ghost Armada” in its entirety under their respective national authorities.

Built in 2005 and capable of carrying about 2.2 million barrels of cargo, SKIPPER had been operating in Iranian waters near Kharg Island since late 2024, often spoofing or disabling its Automatic Identification System. The vessel last loaded crude oil at Kharg Island in February and July 2025, subsequently transferring its cargo to another tanker near Hong Kong. That Iranian oil was eventually delivered to a refinery in Yantai, China.

Following the cargo transfer, SKIPPER sailed around the Cape of Good Hope to Venezuelan waters, where it was seized. The tanker had loaded approximately 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude from the port of Jose between December 4 and 5, transferring about 200,000 barrels to another vessel bound for Cuba before the U.S. interdiction.

UANI praised Guyana for notifying the International Maritime Organization that it de-listed the ship following the UANI listing and American sanctions. “This is exactly what all flag states should be doing,” the organization stated. According to the IMO GISIS database, SKIPPER was falsely flying the Guyana flag and is therefore a stateless vessel.

The seizure marks the first of a Venezuelan oil cargo amid U.S. sanctions that have been in force since 2019, and represents the Trump administration’s first known action against a Venezuela-related tanker since ordering a massive military buildup in the region.

Venezuela’s government condemned the action as “blatant theft” and “an act of international piracy,” while Iran’s embassy in Caracas called it a “grave violation of international laws and norms.”

The operation was carried out by the FBI, Homeland Security, and Coast Guard, with support from the U.S. military. UANI stated it will continue to monitor all Iran-linked vessels and strongly urge tough enforcement of sanctions from not only the United States but its global allies.

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