MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuela's PDVSA vows to continue global oil exports

Delcy Rodríguez echoed PDVSA's announcement

Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA declared Wednesday that its export operations remain fully functional, signaling a defiant stance against a newly announced naval blockade by US President Donald Trump.

The announcement, echoed by Executive Vice President and Minister of Hydrocarbons Delcy Rodríguez, follows a week of spiraling tensions in the Caribbean. On Tuesday, the Trump administration designated the Venezuelan government a “foreign terrorist organization” and ordered a maritime blockade, just days after US forces reportedly seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.

In an official communiqué, PDVSA asserted that its fleet would continue to sail in “full exercise of the right to free navigation and trade.” The company emphasized that its tankers maintain all necessary insurance, technical support, and operational guarantees required to meet international commitments.

“Crude oil and derivative export operations are proceeding normally,” the statement read, framing the continued shipments as an act of “energy sovereignty” protected by the UN Charter and international maritime law.

The Venezuelan government characterized recent U.S. actions —particularly the seizure of a private tanker last week— as “acts of international piracy” and “theft.” The PDVSA statement dismissed Trump's accusations of “narco-terrorism” as unsubstantiated, noting that international bodies like the UN have not supported such claims.

Despite years of unilateral coercive measures, cyberattacks and sabotage, PDVSA leadership maintains that the industry's operational capacity remains “intact.”

Additionally, Venezuela intends to challenge the legality of the blockade before international forums, while PDVSA credited its “determined workforce” for maintaining production despite the increase in hostile military presence in the Caribbean, which marks one of the most significant escalations in relations between the United States and Venezuela in recent years.

Caracas' regime insists that its oil will continue to reach global markets regardless of the “imperial threats.” On Tuesday, the Bolivarian administration formally denounced the United States before the United Nations Security Council, accusing Washington of “state piracy” and the kidnapping of a ship's crew, regarding the Dec. 10 incident involving an oil tanker carrying Venezuelan crude, in alleged violation of several international standards.