US Coast Guard pursues a third sanctioned tanker near Venezuela, escalating pressure on Caracas’s oil sector and sanctions evasion efforts.
WASHINGTON: The US Coast Guard is actively pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea, a US official confirmed on Sunday.
This marks the third such operation in recent weeks as Washington intensifies pressure on Venezuela’s crucial oil industry.
The pursuit follows the seizure of a second vessel off Venezuela’s coast just a day earlier.
US President Donald Trump announced a blockade of “sanctioned oil vessels” to and from Venezuela on December 16.
He demanded the return of allegedly stolen US assets in the oil-rich nation.
A large US naval armada has also been deployed to the Caribbean under a stated anti-drug trafficking mission.
Caracas condemns the deployment as a campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro.
“The United States Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion,” a US official stated anonymously.
The official added the vessel was flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.
News outlets identified the pursued ship as the *Bella 1*, an oil tanker sanctioned by the US since 2024 over alleged ties to Iran and Hezbollah.
Specialist site TankerTrackers reported the ship was en route to Venezuela but was not carrying cargo.
US forces approached the vessel late Saturday, but it refused to be boarded and continued sailing.
Earlier on Saturday, the US Coast Guard seized the *Centuries*, a Chinese-owned, Panama-flagged tanker.
TankerTrackers reported the *Centuries* was loaded with 1.8 million barrels of crude oil at a Venezuelan port this month.
It was escorted out of Venezuela’s exclusive economic zone on December 18.
An AFP review found the *Centuries* did not appear on the US Treasury Department’s sanctions list.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez commented on social media about oil giant Chevron without mentioning the interdicted vessels.
“A ship of the American company Chevron has set sail from our country carrying Venezuelan oil bound for the United States,” Rodriguez stated on Telegram.
She said the shipment adhered to regulations and fulfilled commitments by Venezuela’s oil industry.
Chevron renewed its license this year to extract Venezuelan crude, accounting for roughly 10% of the country’s production.
“Venezuela has always been, and will continue to be, respectful of national and international legality,” Rodriguez continued.
The Trump administration alleges Venezuela uses oil revenue to finance “narcoterrorism.”
The US military has conducted a series of air strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats since September.
These strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have killed more than 100 people.
Critics have questioned the legality of the attacks.
Caracas denies any involvement in drug trafficking and insists Washington aims to overthrow Maduro to seize Venezuela’s oil reserves.
