Venezuela’s Defense Ministry confirmed on August 26, 2025, that naval vessels, drones, and 15,000 soldiers will guard the Gulf of Venezuela and Lake Maracaibo.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said the mission aims to secure oil terminals after the United States deployed guided-missile destroyers, aircraft, and several thousand Marines to nearby Caribbean waters.
Washington described the move as counter-narcotics enforcement, while Caracas denounced it as a direct threat. Lake Maracaibo is the country’s most strategic energy hub.
The Petroboscán joint venture between Chevron and PDVSA produces about 100,000 barrels of heavy crude per day. This crude feeds both Chinese buyers and U.S. refiners that rely on Venezuela’s asphaltic grades.
Exports resumed this summer under a restricted U.S. license granted to Chevron. The license allows shipments but blocks payments to the Venezuelan government.
Shipping records show that in May nearly half of Chevron’s Venezuelan output sailed from the Gulf of Venezuela. Tankers supplied Valero, Phillips 66, PBF Energy, and Chevron’s Pascagoula refinery in Mississippi.
In April, two of seven U.S.-bound cargoes departed directly from Maracaibo. The military build-up also extends to Venezuela’s western border with Colombia, where drones and soldiers reinforce “Operación Relámpago del Catatumbo.”
Officials say the operation targets armed groups and cartels, but its reach now covers the export terminals. The broader reality is that both sides frame deployments in security terms while protecting economic interests.
Venezuela defends its main source of oil revenue. The United States positions its forces to pressure Caracas while keeping Gulf Coast refiners supplied with heavy crude.
An export hub has become the center of a strategic contest. Oil flows, trade routes, and regional security are now tightly bound together in the Caribbean.