US Intensifies Pursuit of Tankers Linked to Venezuela Amid Escalating Tensions

Mon Dec 22 2025 16:15:09 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The US Coast Guard is actively pursuing a third tanker related to Venezuela's illegal oil operations, following the recent seizure of two vessels in international waters. The actions reflect ongoing tensions and U.S. sanctions against the Maduro regime.

The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing a third oil tanker linked to Venezuela, amid heightened tensions and ongoing sanctions against the Venezuelan government. The latest actions come after two tankers were seized this month, as part of the U.S. strategy to curb oil-related crimes associated with the Maduro administration. Venezuelan officials have condemned the seizures as acts of piracy, while U.S. representatives argue these vessels are facilitating illegal sanctions evasion.

The US Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a vessel in international waters near Venezuela as tensions in the region continue to escalate.

US authorities have already seized two oil tankers this month - one of them on Saturday.

Sunday's pursuit related to a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion, a US official told CBS News. It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.

The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of using oil money to fund drug-related crime, while Venezuela has described the tanker seizures as piracy.

According to the New York Times (NYT), late on Saturday, the US Coast Guard approached an oil tanker, which US officials said was not flying a valid national flag.

British maritime risk management group Vanguard identified the tanker as Bella 1, a very large crude oil carrier reportedly on its way to Venezuela to pick up oil.

The US added the Bella 1 to its sanctions list last year for allegedly carrying sanctioned cargo.

When the Bella 1 was sanctioned, the US Treasury Department accused its registered owner of having links to Iran and providing support to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The tanker reportedly did not submit to being boarded and fled northeast into the Atlantic Ocean with the US Coast Guard in pursuit.

The Bella 1 is the third oil tanker to be targeted by the US in waters off Venezuela.

On December 10, the Coast Guard seized the Skipper, which US Attorney General Pam Bondi said was used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela to Iran. The Skipper has since been taken under escort to Galveston in Texas, where it arrived on Sunday.

On Saturday, Coast Guard personnel boarded another tanker named Centuries. While this vessel does not appear on the US Treasury's list of sanctioned vessels, it was reported to carry oil from Venezuela's state-run oil company, PDVSA.

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem commented that the Centuries was operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet to traffic stolen oil and fund the narcoterrorist Maduro regime.

The seizure of the tankers is part of the US's pressure campaign against the Venezuelan government, which has been ongoing since Trump took office in January.

The US has since declared Maduro's government a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and last week, ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving the country.

Venezuelan officials are particularly outraged, as the government heavily relies on oil export profits to finance its spending.

While President Maduro did not directly comment on the seizure of the Centuries or the pursuit of the Bella 1, he referred to US actions as piracy during remarks made on Sunday. Maduro has accused the US of trying to seize Venezuela's oil riches, as the country holds the world's largest proven oil reserves.

At Venezuela's request, the United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency session to discuss what Caracas has described as ongoing US aggression.

China has expressed support for Venezuela, denouncing unilateral and illegal sanctions and asserting Venezuela's right to engage in independent development and cooperation with other nations.