US pursuing another tanker ship near Venezuela amid Trump blockade

By Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) — The US is pursuing a vessel in international waters near Venezuela on Sunday after attempting to intercept it, a US official said, as President Donald Trump’s administration tightens its crackdown on the country’s oil industry.

The tanker, called Bella 1, was sailing toward Venezuela to pick up oil. It is under US sanctions for links to Iranian oil. American officials view it as part of the shadow fleet that transports oil from sanctioned nations, and a warrant had been issued for its seizure.

When US Coast Guard personnel attempted to board the ship, however, the vessel kept sailing, the official said, leading to the pursuit.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing operation.

“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 second US official said. “It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.”

It was the second operation in the same number of days meant to interdict tankers tied to Venezuelan oil. On Saturday, the US Coast Guard intercepted the Centuries tanker in international waters off the coast of Venezuela.

A White House spokeswoman, Anna Kelly, said it was carrying sanctioned Venezuelan oil, though the ship itself did not appear on a list of sanctioned vessels.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency includes the Coast Guard, posted a seven-minute video to social media Saturday afternoon showing a helicopter hovering over the tanker. She wrote that the tanker was apprehended in “predawn action” by the Coast Guard with support from the Defense Department and that it was last docked in Venezuela.

“The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region,” she said.

The US seized a large oil tanker called the Skipper, which had been under sanctions for its ties to Iran, on December 10.

The interceptions mark an escalation in Washington’s efforts to squeeze Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who Trump has accused of flooding the US with illicit drugs and migrants.

Last week, Trump ordered a “complete” blockade of sanctioned tankers going in and out of Venezuela as he looks to cut of Caracas’ main economic lifeline.

Venezuela sits on the world’s largest proven oil reserves, but its output is well below capacity due to international sanctions.

Trump has taken a major interest in the country’s oil, and accuses Venezuela of “stealing” American property in its state takeover of the industry in the 1970s.

Before then, American firms were active in oil drilling in Venezuela. Now, only one US firm — Houston-based Chevron — drills in Venezuela.

Most of Venezuela’s oil is sold to China; the cargos aboard the Skipper and Centuries was ultimately destined for Asia, US officials have said previously.

Venezuela has slammed the blockade, calling it “a reckless and serious threat.” It said it would continue to defend its sovereignty and national interests.

After the seizure of the Centuries on Saturday, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said in a statement the country “rejects the theft and hijacking of a new private vessel transporting Venezuelan oil” and that it “will take all appropriate actions, including reporting this to the United Nations Security Council, other multilateral organizations, and the governments of the world.”

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