US Sanctions 4 More Companies, 4 More Oil Tankers Accused of Serving Venezuela

These latest sanctions actions are part of a multifaceted pressure campaign against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro over drug trafficking.

A boat passes by a crude oil tanker anchored on Lake Maracaibo near Maracaibo, Venezuela, on Dec. 18, 2025. Alejandro Paredes/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Dec. 31 new actions against four companies and four linked vessels, which it said are helping Venezuela evade oil export sanctions.

In a Dec. 31 press statement, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control described the four entities and their affiliated vessels as part of a so-called “shadow fleet” working to sustain Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s “illegitimate narco-terrorist regime.”