Venezuelan Oil Tanker Intercepted By US Linked To China

• 22.12.2025, 2:33

It supplied oil to Malaysia as well.

The oil tanker intercepted earlier by the US Coast Guard was the vessel Centuries, Lloyd's List has pointed out. Centuries was not on any US sanctions list at the time of the interception. The owner is Hong Kong-registered Centuries Shipping Limited, according to data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence.

According to Lloyd's List, the tanker loaded about 1.8 million barrels of oil at Venezuela's Jose terminal between Dec. 9 and Dec. 12. At the time of the interception, the destination was listed as Malaysia. Over the past year, the ship has regularly shipped Venezuelan oil to China and Malaysia.

The White House believes Centuries was carrying oil from Petróleos de Venezuela SA, a state-owned company under U.S. sanctions.