U.S. Coast Guard Pursues Oil Tanker Linked to Venezuela

The U.S. Coast Guard is still pursuing a sanctioned oil tanker in international waters, a U.S. official told CBS news on monday, as the Trump management appeared to intensify its targeting of oil vessels amid a pressure campaign directed at the Venezuelan government.

The Coast Guard tried to board the tanker, called the Bella 1, over the weekend, after the justice Department obtained a seizure warrant based on the ship’s prior involvement in the Iranian oil trade, a U.S.official said.

But the ship – which had not yet entered Venezuelan waters – refused to be boarded and sailed away,fleeing toward the Caribbean. An active pursuit began, with the vessel sending distress signals to nearby ships.That pursuit remained underway as of Monday afternoon, according to the official.

A U.S. official told CBS News on Sunday the pursuit involved “a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion.”

“It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order,” they said.

The Coast Guard’s pursuit of the tanker was first reported by Reuters. The U.S. officials who spoke with Reuters did not give a specific location for the operation or the name of the vessel being pursued.

If caught and seized, it would be the third Venezuelan tanker taken by the U.S. More information is available on CBS News.