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WSJ

A billion-barrel oil glut is forming at sea​


The oil market is grappling with whether sanctioned Russian and Iranian cargoes should still be counted as supply. This may explain why oil prices have been slow to react to a huge glut that is building on the ocean.

There are 1.4 billion barrels of oil “on the water.” That is 24% higher than the average for this time of year between 2016 and 2024, according to oil-analytics firm Vortexa. The data measures shipments that are on their way to be unloaded at a port, or cargoes that haven’t yet found a buyer.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...s-forming-at-sea/ar-AA1S4rMO?ocid=socialshare
 

US Holds First Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Auction Since 2023

The Trump administration will hold the government's first sale of oil and gas drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico since 2023 on Wednesday, a key test of industry appetite for offshore acreage at a time when the United States is seeking to unleash more domestic fossil fuel production.
gcaptain.com
 

US Seizes Oil Tanker Off the Coast of Venezuela​

US forces have intercepted and seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, according to people familiar with the matter, a move that marks a serious escalation of tensions between the two countries.

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. State oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA and Venezuela’s oil and information ministries didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.

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Trump says U.S. seized oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela​

  • President Donald Trump said the U.S. has seized a large oil tanker near Venezuela.
  • Trump has escalated pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in recent weeks, saying his “days are numbered.”
  • Most of Venezuela’s oil exports go to China.
U.S. forces on Wednesday seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said.

“We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela — a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually,” Trump said during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room at the White House.

The president declined to provide information on who owned the tanker or its destination when asked by a reporter.

“It was seized for a very good reason,” Trump said.

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Ukraine Strikes a 3rd Shadow Fleet Tanker in the Black Sea | MT Dashan Struck Multiple Times​

Dec 10, 2025 What's Going on With Shipping - Maritime Industry Today
In this episode, Sal Mercogliano — a maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner — discusses the third Russia Shadow Fleet tanker, MT Dashan, struck by Ukrainian sea baby drones in the Black Sea on December 10, 2025.

12:34

- Marine Traffic www.marinetraffic.com
- Ukraine Hits Third Russia Shadow Fleet Tanker in Black Sea https://gcaptain.com/ukraine-hits-thi...
- Bulgaria Rescuing Sanctioned Tanker That Was Hit By Ukrainian Drone https://gcaptain.com/bulgaria-rescuin...
- Ukraine Seizes Cargo Ship Accused of Transporting Grain from Crimea https://maritime-executive.com/articl...
- U.S. Seizes Oil Tanker Off Venezuela in Coast Guard-Led Operation, U.S. Officials Say https://gcaptain.com/u-s-seizes-oil-t...
- Black Sea war risk rates up 250% since start of November https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1155759/...
- Ukraine’s Drone War on Dark Fleet Triggers Diplomatic Tensions, Heightens Black Sea Risk https://windward.ai/blog/ukraines-dro...
 
U.S. Seizes A Shadow Fleet Super Tanker off Venezuela | The Skipper Has Been Arrested!

Dec 11, 2025 #skipper #sanctions #venezuela
In this episode, Sal Mercogliano — a maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner — discusses the arrest of the stateless Very Large Crude Carrier Skipper off the coast of Venezuela by the United States for carrying Venezuelan and Iranian oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.

16:54


- Marine Trafficwww.marinetraffic.com
- Seasearcher www.seasearcher.com
- Tanker Trackershttps://tankertrackers.com/
- U.S. Seizes Oil Tanker Off Venezuela in Coast Guard-Led Operationhttps://gcaptain.com/u-s-seizes-oil-t...
- U.S. Tanker Seizure Puts 30+ Sanctioned Vessels in Venezuela on Noticehttps://gcaptain.com/u-s-tanker-seizu...
- UANI Calls U.S. Seizure of Sanctions-Dodging SKIPPER a ‘Warning Shot’ to Iran’s Shadow Fleethttps://gcaptain.com/uani-calls-u-s-s...
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U.S. Treasury Targets Maduro’s Inner Circle and Six Shipping Companies with Sweeping Sanctions

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sweeping sanctions Thursday targeting three nephews of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s wife, a Panamanian businessman, and six shipping...
gcaptain.com

U.S. Seizure of Shadow Fleet Tanker 'Skipper' Ends Years-Long Sanctions-Evasion Run

The U.S. Coast Guard seized the very large oil tanker SKIPPER off Venezuela’s coast on Wednesday, culminating a three-year enforcement saga involving Iranian oil smuggling networks and sanctions evasion. The...
gcaptain.com
 

The Dark Fleet Is Under Attack

U.S. seizure of Skipper and targeted Ukrainian drone strikes mark a turning point for the dark fleet, exposing hundreds of false-flag tankers carrying sanctioned oil to rising legal and operational risk.
windward.ai
 
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