The US government has sold for scrap two sanctioned oil tankers that were seized in the days after Washington's aggression on Venezuela and abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Lloyd's List reported on Monday.

Dubai-headquartered vessel recycling firm Global Marketing Systems purchased the tankers last month for an undisclosed sum, according to the report. The sale included the Era, previously operating as Marinera and Bella 1, and the Lileo, previously sailing as Galileo and Veronica, the report said. The tankers will be demolished in scrap yards in India.

"The US government has sold them to us and there was a court order authorizing the sales, but there are complexities, not least the fact that we weren’t really sure who previously owned them," GMS CEO Anil Sharma told Lloyd's List.

US revives piracy in the 21st century

The United States has conducted multiple operations to intercept and seize oil tankers in international waters, actions that Venezuela and other nations have condemned as maritime piracy.

Venezuela has formally presented a letter to the UN Security Council accusing the US of "maritime piracy" following a seizure in December 2025, with the government alleging that US forces "forcibly boarded a private vessel on the high seas, subdued and kidnapped its crew, and illegally seized a shipment of Venezuelan oil."

The Iranian government has also condemned such actions, with its embassy in Caracas stating that "piracy in the Caribbean Sea" is the most appropriate description of the US seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker and calling it "a flagrant violation of international laws and regulations, including the inviolable principle of freedom of the seas and navigation."

Source:Websites