"The US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94) conducted a freedom of navigation operation, contesting an excessive maritime claim by Venezuela," the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a statement.

According to the US Navy, the operation took place in international waters outside a 12-nautical-mile jurisdiction that President Nicolas Maduro claims as belonging to Venezuela.

The vessel sailed in an area that "the illegitimate Maduro regime falsely claims to have control over," the statement said.

"The United States will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, preserving the rights, freedoms and lawful use of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations," Admiral Craig Faller, SOUTHCOM commander, said in the statement.

A spokesman told AFP that a similar operation had taken place in January.

SOUTHCOM, which directs US military operations in the Caribbean, Central and South America, said it conducted Tuesday's operation as part of its counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean.