OCEAN: Venezuelan Oil Tankers Blocked & more – 23rd Dec 2025

Ahoy from BA! This is the Rorshok Ocean Update from the 23rd of December twenty twenty-five. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

Let’s kick off this edition with an update to a story from our previous show, as the U.S. continues seizing oil tankers near Venezuela as part of the sanctions it implemented against the country.

On Saturday the 20th, the U.S. Coast Guard boarded a second Panama-flagged vessel with Pentagon support, although it was not on the public U.S. sanctions list. Since the ship’s last dock was in Venezuela, U.S. authorities suspected it had been transporting Venezuelan crude.

The following day, U.S. authorities seized a third vessel as it was en route to Venezuela to load oil. This ship, also flagged in Panama, has been under sanctions by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control since June twenty twenty-four and is reportedly connected to financing activities for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

The Venezuelan government condemned the action as piracy.

On a related note, on Tuesday, the 16th, the U.S. imposed a total blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela to stop vessels transporting crude that fund the government.

With exports slowed, Venezuela’s main oil storage facilities and docked tankers are filling rapidly, and storage capacity could reach maximum in about ten days, forcing reduced output or well closures if exports remain blocked.

The situation has contributed to increasing pressure on Venezuela’s main export sector, rising oil prices and heightened geopolitical tensions in the Caribbean region.

The U.S. has also pointed its gun at Spain. The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission or FMC has intensified its investigation into Spain’s port access restrictions on certain cargoes.

Since November twenty twenty-four, the FMC has limited Spain’s port access and has blocked at least three U.S.-flagged vessels under investigation. The FMC believes that Spain’s policies might violate U.S. shipping laws and could disrupt U.S. foreign trade, leading it to consider additional enforcement measures, particularly against ships traveling to or from Israel.

While no final decision has been reached, potential penalties under consideration include cargo restrictions, denial of U.S. port entry for Spanish-flagged vessels, or fines of up to about 2.3 million dollars per trip. The Commission is currently inviting public input before deciding next steps.

In other U.S. news, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority announced on Friday, the 19th, a 300 million dollar investment to expand port infrastructure for the growing offshore wind energy supply chain.

The initiative aligns with federal clean-energy goals and the decarbonization of the maritime industry. The funding will be used to upgrade port infrastructure and other facilities to handle large wind-turbine components, build staging areas, and improve heavy-lift and storage capabilities, while supporting container handling, ship repairs, and diverse commercial activities.

Officials expect the upgrades to create jobs, strengthen maritime logistics and shipping services, and attract related manufacturing.

On the other side of the world, Chinese maritime authorities have issued the first-ever penalty to a foreign ship for illegal use of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service within Chinese territorial waters.

During a routine inspection, Chinese officials identified a Starlink satellite terminal still transmitting data after the ship entered Chinese territorial waters, violating national telecommunications and radio regulations.

China has banned Starlink because it transmits data directly to foreign satellites and bypasses state-controlled gateways, which China views as a national security threat.

More on China, as in twenty twenty-five, the country greatly expanded its container shipping via the Arctic, with a record of fourteen trips between Asia and Europe.

Most leading Western container companies currently do not plan to establish regular Arctic service because of environmental issues, limited infrastructure, insurance complications, and uncertain economic viability. However, China and Russia are increasingly confident in the seasonal Arctic route, which can reduce Asia–Europe transit times compared to the Suez Canal.

China had eleven Arctic container shipping trips in twenty twenty-four and seven in twenty twenty-three. Chinese carriers plan further expansion in twenty twenty-six.

Speaking of Russia, President Putin said Russia has simultaneously deployed all eight of its nuclear-powered icebreakers for the first time to maintain Arctic winter shipping lanes in the Gulf of Ob and the Yenisei Gulf.

The deployment aims to facilitate the year-end transportation of oil, liquefied natural gas, and minerals from the Arctic to address Russia's urgent shortage of oil tankers. It involves two older icebreakers, specifically built for Arctic river estuaries, two original Arktika-class vessels, and four modern Arktika-class ships, which provide increased power and better efficiency.

Russia is also building more icebreakers and a massive Leader-class ship to ultimately enable year-round Northern Sea Route navigation, but harsh ice and a lack of strengthened tankers still challenge Arctic export flows.

France also has a construction plan. On Sunday, the 21st, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed plans to build an aircraft carrier to improve France’s maritime power and defense autonomy amid global tensions.

The program costs around twelve billion dollars and aims to build and operate a new, next-generation nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to replace its aging carrier by twenty thirty-eight. The vessel will be the largest warship ever built in Europe, carrying about thirty combat aircraft and 2,000 personnel.

As one of the few European nations owning an aircraft carrier, France still has limited maritime capabilities compared with the U.S. and China.

France not only needs to improve its maritime facilities but also to strengthen its cyberattack capabilities. French authorities have launched an investigation into foreign interference and a cyberattack on a passenger ferry that docked at the Mediterranean port of Sete after discovering malware called Remote Access Trojan, which allows hackers to control systems remotely, on the ship.

Italian shipping company GNV operates the ferry, which can carry over 2,000 passengers. The General Directorate for Internal Security performed an emergency inspection of the ferry and seized several items. After technical checks confirmed no threat to passengers, the vessel was cleared to depart.

French authorities arrested a Latvian crew member, and a Bulgarian suspect was later released. The officer said the probe targets an organized attempt to attack an automated data-processing system on behalf of a foreign power.

On Thursday the 18th and Friday, the 19th, the Danish shipping company Maersk completed its first transit test through the Red Sea in nearly two years.

The company implemented the highest safety measures during the test journey, as Houthis have attacked over a hundred commercial ships in the Red Sea since October twenty twenty-three.

Maersk highlighted that while the test was successful, it is not a signal of a full return to regular transits, but it may lead to a step-by-step resumption if conditions remain safe.

Meanwhile, the U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled plans to create a new class of U.S. Navy warships on Monday, the 22nd.

The program is part of a broader Golden Fleet initiative intended to expand American naval power. The Trump-class battleships are the main highlight of the program and are said to be a hundred times more powerful than current battleships. The program would start with two large vessels and eventually build an estimated twenty to twenty-five ships, equipped with advanced weapons like nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles.

And to close this edition, Reuters Energy Columnist Ron Bousso argues that the recent drop in oil prices is due to the surge in crude supplies at sea rather than geopolitical tensions in Russia or Venezuela.

Data show that about 1.3 billion barrels of crude are held at sea, which is the highest since April twenty twenty. Slower tanker speeds also reflect this oversupply, which means even more millions of barrels have been stored on tankers for extended periods, indicating buyers are struggling to find storage or outlets.

The author mentioned that although Russian and Venezuelan politics cause buyers to hesitate, the more lasting downward pressure on prices comes from the higher output of U.S., Gulf, and tanker stocks.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

We just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who’s been listening, subscribing, and sharing their thoughts with us. Your support keeps us going, and we’re grateful for every one of you. Happy holidays!

See you next week!