The United States Continues Pursuit of a Third Oil Tanker in the Caribbean and Increases Pressure on Venezuela

SadaNews - A U.S. official reported on Monday that the United States is pursuing a third oil tanker in the Caribbean as part of its escalating pressure on the vital oil sector in Venezuela.

This chase comes one day after the U.S. Coast Guard detained a second oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast within two weeks.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on December 16, that a blockade would be imposed on "sanctioned oil tankers" sailing to and from Venezuela, alongside the deployment of a large military naval fleet in the Caribbean. Washington claims the mission is to combat drug trafficking, while Caracas sees it as directed against President Nicolas Maduro.

The U.S. official, who asked not to be named, stated that the Coast Guard is engaged in an "active pursuit" of a sanctioned oil tanker belonging to what is known as the "dark fleet," which is used - according to him - for illegal operations to evade sanctions imposed on Venezuela, noting that the ship is flying a false flag and is subject to a court seizure order.

U.S. media identified the vessel as the oil tanker "Bella 1," which has been under U.S. sanctions since 2024 due to its ties to Iran and Hezbollah. According to the specialized site "Tanker Trackers," the ship was en route to Venezuela without carrying any cargo.

In this context, the "New York Times" reported that U.S. forces approached the tanker late Saturday and attempted to intercept it after obtaining a federal court order, but the ship continued on its course.

The U.S. Coast Guard had previously seized the oil tanker "Centaurus," which is owned by China and flies the Panamanian flag.

For her part, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez announced that the American oil company "Chevron" sent an oil tanker from Caracas to the United States loaded with Venezuelan oil, confirming that the operation was carried out in accordance with the established rules and obligations.

Rodriguez emphasized that Venezuela "respects national and international legitimacy" at a time when "Chevron's" license to extract crude oil from the country, which constitutes about 10% of Venezuelan production, was renewed.