The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela, officials told Reuters on Sunday, in what would mark the second such operation over the weekend and the third in less than two weeks if successful.
A U.S. official described the targeted vessel as part of a “dark fleet” engaged in sanctions evasion linked to Venezuela’s oil trade. “The United States Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned ‘dark fleet’ vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion,” the official said. “It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.”
Bella 1 Identified as Vessel Under Pursuit
While U.S. authorities did not name the ship, British maritime risk firm Vanguard and a U.S. maritime security source identified it as Bella 1, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department last year for its links to Iran. According to the vessel-tracking service TankerTrackers.com, Bella 1 was empty as it approached Venezuela on Sunday.
Internal documents from Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA showed that in 2021 the ship had transported crude oil to China and previously carried Iranian oil.
Officials said no boarding had yet taken place and that U.S. interceptions can take various forms including sailing or flying close to vessels suspected of sanctions violations. They did not disclose the operation’s precise location.
Intensified U.S. Campaign on Venezuela’s Oil Trade
The pursuit follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement last week of a “blockade” targeting all oil tankers under sanctions that enter or leave Venezuela. The campaign forms part of a broader effort to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, involving heightened military activity in the Caribbean and Pacific.
According to U.S. officials, the initiative has led to over two dozen military strikes on vessels near Venezuela, resulting in at least 100 deaths. The White House did not immediately comment on the latest operation.
The Skipper, another VLCC and the first Venezuela-linked vessel seized by the U.S. on 10 December, arrived on Sunday at the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area near Houston, where very large crude carriers typically transfer their cargoes to smaller tankers due to depth restrictions in the Houston Ship Channel.
Kevin Hassett, director of the White House’s National Economic Council, defended the seizures during an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation. He said the tankers were “black market ships” supplying sanctioned nations and dismissed concerns about U.S. fuel prices. “There’s just a couple of them,” Hassett said, “and they were black market ships.”
Market and Regional Implications
Oil markets reacted cautiously to the developments. In early Asian trading on Monday, Brent crude futures rose 42 cents, or 0.7%, to $60.89 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate gained 37 cents to $56.89 per barrel.
Analysts warned that further tanker seizures could escalate tensions and disrupt Venezuelan oil exports. UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said traders might view the operations as “an escalation with more Venezuelan barrels at risk,” especially since one of the intercepted vessels over the weekend was not itself under U.S. sanctions.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro vowed on Wednesday that his government would continue oil trade despite mounting U.S. pressure. However, experts said Washington’s focus on intercepting tankers could quickly reduce export volumes and strain Venezuela’s already limited storage capacity.
“The effects could be felt rapidly as Venezuela’s export volumes decline and storage tanks reach capacity, forcing the country to cut production,” said Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin America Energy Program at Rice University’s Baker Institute.
with inputs from Reuters
