The military operation violated international law and unlawfully detained crew.
On Sunday, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA-TCP) harshly criticized the seizure of the Centuries, a Panama-flagged tanker carrying Venezuelan oil in the Caribbean Sea.
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In a joint statement, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada and St. Lucia said the U.S. operation was carried out in international waters and included the unlawful deprivation of liberty of the vessel’s crew. The ALBA statement follows:
“The ALBA countries categorically condemn the theft and seizure of a second vessel transporting Venezuelan oil, carried out by U.S. government’s military personnel, who, acting as privateers, also unlawfully deprived its crew of their liberty.
This serious act of piracy committed in international waters violates the letter and the spirit of the United Nations Charter, the fundamental principles of international law, and the text of the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation. It constitutes an unacceptable act of aggression against lawful commerce and the sovereignty of states.
🚨 Un détail qui change tout.
Le tanker CENTURIES, arraisonné par Washington il y a 48h,
✔️ appartient à des intérêts chinois
✔️ est immatriculé au Panama
✔️ dispose d’une licence valide début 2025
✔️ est opéré depuis Hong KongEt surtout :
❌ aucune sanction américaine,… pic.twitter.com/EjL30bDl07— Camille Moscow 🇷🇺 🌿 ☦️ (@camille_moscow) December 22, 2025
The text reads, “One detail that changes everything. The Centuris oil tanker, seized by Washington 48 hours ago, is owned by Chinese interests, registered in Panama, has a license valid until early 2025, and operates from Hong Kong. And, most importantly, there are no US, European, or British sanctions against it. Conclusion: this is not law enforcement or a punitive measure. It is a pure and simple act of force.”
ALBA denounces that this act exposes a deliberate intention to plunder the natural resources of a sovereign country and sets an extremely serious precedent for the region and for the international system as a whole.
This is a neocolonial domination’s supremacist strategy aimed at forcibly imposing an anarchic order in which violence prevails, undermining international law and replacing rules with intimidation and dispossession.
ALBA expresses its full and active solidarity with the people and the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, supports the pursuit of all corresponding legal and diplomatic actions before the competent multilateral bodies, and demands the immediate cessation of these illegal practices, as well as the determination of responsibilities in accordance with international law.
The Bolivarian alliance warns that this reprehensible action is not only an affront to Venezuela, but also constitutes a direct act of aggression against all nations, by violating international law and breaching the principles that sustain peaceful coexistence among nations.”
During a high-level plenary meeting, Venezuela’s permanent representative to the #UN, Samuel Moncada, reiterated that #Venezuela will defend its territorial sovereignty. pic.twitter.com/aG4okMavpi
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 18, 2025
teleSUR/ JF
Source: ALBA-TCP
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