CARACAS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Venezuelan government on Saturday denounced what it called a new "theft and kidnapping" of a private vessel transporting Venezuelan oil, along with the forced disappearance of its crew, allegedly carried out by U.S. military forces in international waters.

Authorities described the incident as an act of piracy that seriously violated international law and undermined fundamental principles of freedom of navigation and maritime trade.

According to an official statement, the action breached international legal instruments protecting maritime safety, as well as core norms enshrined in the UN Charter and other multilateral conventions.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Saturday that U.S. forces seized the vessel off the Venezuelan coast earlier in the day.

This is the second time in recent weeks that the United States has seized a tanker near Venezuela amid a large U.S. military build-up in the region.

The seizure also comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of all U.S.-sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. ■