Venezuela’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, presented a formal letter to the Security Council denouncing the boarding, hijacking, and theft of a Venezuelan oil shipment in international waters by the United States, characterizing it as an act of “maritime piracy carried out directly by a State.”

In his communication addressed to the President of the Security Council, Slovenian Ambassador Samuel Žbogar, Moncada emphasized that this incident “is not an isolated event,” but rather part of a “sustained policy of coercion and aggression” against Venezuela, based on “unilateral, illegal, and illegitimate coercive measures.”

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The document states that such actions have escalated to practices that constitute, in legal terms, maritime piracy, expressly prohibited by International Law.

The letter refers to Article 101 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which defines piracy as “any unlawful act of violence, detention, or plunder committed on the high seas.”

Venezuela’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, calls on the #UN Security Council to immediately release the kidnapped crew, as well as the Venezuelan #oil illegally confiscated on the high seas, and to cease any interventionist action against the… pic.twitter.com/JYA1DycQd6

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 16, 2025

Moncada argued that when a state military force commits identical acts, the gravity of the act “aggravates the hostile action” and compromises the integrity of the multilateral system.

“The legal regime of the high seas protects freedom of navigation and lawful international trade; principles that have been flagrantly violated in this case,” the letter states.

Furthermore, it recalls that the Charter of the United Nations, in Article 2, paragraph 4, categorically prohibits the use of force in international relations, a matter under the exclusive competence of the Security Council, as defined in Articles 39 and 42. Venezuela reiterated that there is no authorization from the Security Council that justifies the violent boarding, the kidnapping of the crew, or the theft of the cargo.

The document also highlights that the Security Council itself has repeatedly condemned piracy through resolutions such as 1816 (2008), 1838 (2008), 2015 (2011), and 2634 (2022), recognizing it as a threat to international peace and security. Likewise, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has reiterated its rejection of such acts as a direct threat to maritime security.

Given this situation, Venezuela demands that the United States immediately release the kidnapped crew, return the confiscated oil, and cease all interference with its legitimate oil trade. It also urges the Security Council to publicly condemn this act, take action to preserve the safety of navigation, and prevent piracy from becoming entrenched as an instrument of political coercion.

Finally, the Bolivarian Government requested that it be reaffirmed, in writing, that there is no resolution authorizing actions against Venezuela or its oil trade, and that the communication be distributed as an official Council document to all member states.

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