The United States Coast Guard is actively pursuing another oil tanker allegedly violating US sanctions near Venezuela, a US official told AFP on Sunday, as Washington intensifies pressure on the country’s vital oil sector.
The operation in the Caribbean comes just one day after the Coast Guard seized a second vessel off Venezuela, marking a rapid escalation in US enforcement efforts. On December 16, President Donald Trump announced a blockade on “sanctioned oil vessels” traveling to and from Venezuela, demanding the return of what he described as misappropriated US assets.
A significant US naval presence has been deployed to the Caribbean, officially aimed at combating drug trafficking. Venezuelan authorities, however, claim the deployment is part of a broader campaign to pressure the government of President Nicolás Maduro.
“The United States Coast Guard is actively pursuing a sanctioned dark fleet vessel involved in Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion. The ship is flying a false flag and is under a judicial seizure order,” a US official, speaking anonymously, said.
Reports identified the tanker as the Bella 1, which has been under US sanctions since 2024 for alleged ties to Iran and Hezbollah. According to maritime tracking site TankerTrackers, the vessel was heading to Venezuela but was not carrying cargo. US forces approached the tanker on Saturday, but it refused to submit to boarding and continued sailing, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed officials.
Earlier on Saturday, the Coast Guard seized the Centuries, a Chinese-owned, Panama-flagged tanker carrying 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan crude. The vessel had been loaded at a Venezuelan port earlier this month before being escorted out of the country’s exclusive economic zone on December 18. An AFP review indicated that the Centuries does not appear on the US Treasury Department’s list of sanctioned companies or individuals.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez stated on social media that Chevron had dispatched a tanker carrying Venezuelan oil to the United States in full compliance with regulations, without mentioning the seized or pursued vessels. Chevron renewed its Venezuelan license earlier this year and accounts for approximately 10 percent of the country’s oil production.
Rodríguez emphasized that Venezuela “has always been, and will continue to be, respectful of national and international legality.”
The Trump administration has alleged that Venezuela uses its oil revenues to finance “narcoterrorism.” Since September, US forces have conducted airstrikes on vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, actions that have reportedly resulted in over 100 deaths. Caracas denies any involvement in drug trafficking, asserting that US actions are aimed at overthrowing President Maduro to gain control of Venezuela’s oil reserves.
Source: Yen.com.gh
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