US pursues another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela

The United States is pursuing an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela, according to a US official, in what would be the second such operation in two days and the third in less than two weeks.

The official told Al Jazeera on Sunday that the US Coast Guard “remains in active pursuit” of the vessel, which they described as being party of Venezuela’s dark fleet trying to evade American sanctions.

The official added that the vessel was “flying a false flag” and was “under a judicial seizure order”.

The Reuters news agency, citing a US official, reported that the tanker was under sanctions, but added that it had not been boarded so far and that interceptions can take different forms – including sailing or flying close to vessels of concern.

The official did not give a specific location for the operation or name the vessel being pursued.

But the British maritime risk management group Vanguard identified the vessel as Bella 1, a very large crude oil carrier that was added last year to the sanctions ‍list of the US ⁠Treasury Department, which said the vessel has links to Iran.

Bella 1 was empty when it was approaching Venezuela on Sunday, according to TankerTrackers.com.

Reuters, citing internal documents from Venezuela’s state-run oil company, PDVSA, reported that the vessel had in 2021 provided transportation for Venezuela’s oil to China. The agency, citing a vessel monitoring service, also reported that the vessel had previously carried Iranian crude.

The latest operation comes after the US seized an oil tanker off Venezuela on Saturday as part of a “blockade” ordered by US President Donald Trump.

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Saturday that the coastguard apprehended the vessel with support from the Pentagon.

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

“We will find you, and we will stop you,” she added.

The operation marked the second time in recent weeks that the US has seized a tanker near Venezuela, and comes amid a large US military buildup in the region.

Trump, whose administration has continued to escalate pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, ordered on Tuesday a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving the South American country.

Trump’s pressure campaign on Maduro has also included a ramped-up military presence in the region and more than two dozen military strikes on alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea near the South American nation. At least 100 people have been killed in the attacks.

The two oil tankers that were seized were operating on the black market and providing oil to countries under sanctions, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House’s National Economic Council, said in a TV interview on Sunday.