US forces seized an oil tanker named Skipper near Venezuela on Wednesday. The ship had been hiding its true location for months. It last declared its position on November 7 but was spotted in Venezuela by satellite on November 18. The Skipper is accused of moving oil from sanctioned countries Iran and Venezuela. The US Treasury first sanctioned it in 2022, calling it part of an "international oil smuggling network." The tanker falsely flew the Guyana flag but was not registered there. Tracking data shows the Skipper used tricks to hide its real routes. It appeared to load crude oil in Iran and Venezuela but used fake location signals. The tanker also made secret ship-to-ship oil transfers, with one on December 7 just days before the US raid. Analysts say such moves help break US sanctions. The Skipper's beneficial owner is Nigerian company Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd, while the registered owner is Marshall Islands-based Triton Navigation Corp. US officials link Triton to a Russian oil smuggler named Viktor Artemov. The US describes the Skipper as a "crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran." The US raid marks a big step in cracking down on illegal oil shipments in the region.