Venezuelan oil exports have fallen sharply after the US seized the tanker Skipper off Venezuela’s coast on Wednesday. This was the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions began in 2019. The US also imposed fresh sanctions on shipping companies and vessels working with Caracas. Since the seizure, only tankers chartered by US oil firm Chevron have sailed carrying Venezuelan crude. Chevron is allowed by the US government to operate in Venezuela and export oil to the US. Other tankers holding about 11 million barrels of oil remain stuck in Venezuelan waters, data and maritime sources show. US Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Skipper was seized under a warrant. Guyana’s maritime authority said the tanker was flying its flag falsely. The Skipper is now heading to Houston to offload oil to smaller ships. Washington plans to intercept more ships carrying Venezuelan oil, sources told Reuters. Venezuela called the seizure “blatant theft” and “international piracy” and will complain to global bodies. Venezuelan lawmakers moved to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, which is probing human rights abuses in Venezuela. Relations between the US and Venezuela are highly tense after over 20 US strikes in the Caribbean targeting suspected drug vessels and a military buildup. Nearly 90 people died in the US strikes this year, raising human rights concerns. Brazil's President Lula da Silva talked by phone with Maduro about peace in South America. Lula had not spoken since Venezuela’s 2024 election, which Brazil and many countries didn’t recognize. The US does not accept Maduro, in power since 2013, as Venezuela’s legitimate leader. Washington signaled more ship seizures are coming to block sanctioned oil. It also sanctioned three nephews of Maduro’s wife and six linked tankers. Trump has suggested possible US military action in Venezuela. Maduro says the US wants regime change and to steal Venezuela’s oil. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who secretly received the Nobel peace prize, said Maduro will leave power “whether there is a negotiated changeover or not.” She promised a peaceful transition and thanked Trump for his “decisive support.” Machado traveled to Oslo despite a travel ban and promised to bring the Nobel prize back to Venezuela.