The government of Venezuela identified the lost vessel as the 1,500 tonne, 80-meter patrol ship
Naiguata, and it has accused
Resolute of improperly departing the scene after the casualty. "The action of the ship
Resolute is considered cowardly and criminal, since it did not attend to the rescue of the crew, in breach of the international regulations that regulate the rescue of life at sea," the statement reads.
In a second
statement attributed to Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, the government in Caracas alleged that the
Resolute collided with the
Naiguata in an "act of aggression and piracy." Further, the government speculated that it could not rule out that
Resolute “was transporting mercenaries to attack military bases in Venezuela, unloading them out there on the high seas.”