Washington: The US Coast Guard Venezuela oil tanker enforcement has intensified after American forces have tracked another sanctioned vessel near Venezuelan waters. The move has followed a series of seizures as Washington has expanded pressure on Venezuela’s oil exports.
US Coast Guard officials have said they have been pursuing an oil tanker in international waters close to Venezuela, marking the second such operation over the weekend and the third within a week. Unnamed US officials told American media that the action involved what was described as an active pursuit in the Caribbean Sea.
According to those officials, the vessel has been identified as part of Venezuela’s so-called dark fleet and has been accused of evading international sanctions. The ship, later identified by media reports as the Bella 1, has been under US sanctions since 2024 over alleged links to Iran and Hezbollah. Officials have claimed the tanker was sailing under a false flag and was already subject to a judicial seizure order.
Reports have indicated that US forces approached the tanker, but the vessel did not comply with boarding requests and continued sailing. Specialised shipping data suggested the ship was heading towards Venezuela but was not carrying oil cargo at the time.
The US Coast Guard Venezuela oil tanker operations have escalated following President Donald Trump’s declaration of a blockade targeting sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela. The policy has been part of a broader pressure campaign aimed at weakening the oil sector controlled by President Nicolás Maduro’s government.
The latest pursuit came a day after US forces seized another oil tanker in international waters off Venezuela’s coast. That seizure followed a similar operation on 10 December, with both vessels reportedly bound for Asian markets. The US Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that those ships were detained for violating sanctions.
However, oil market analysts have warned that rising geopolitical tensions in the Caribbean could push prices higher, particularly when Asian markets reopen. Some traders have said expectations of a possible end to the war in Ukraine may help curb further increases.
Venezuela’s government has condemned the seizures, describing them as international piracy and accusing Washington of blatant theft. President Maduro has urged Venezuela’s navy to escort oil shipments, raising fears of direct confrontation as the US deploys its largest regional naval presence in decades.
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