US in active pursuit of third vessel associated with Venezuela's shadow fleet

The US Coast Guard is actively pursuing a vessel associated with Venezuela's sanctions evasion, a US official told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, Dec. 21, a continuation in US President Donald Trump's pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The pursuit follows two US seizures of tankers carrying Venezuelan crude Dec. 20 and Dec. 10, marking the third such action targeting Venezuela's oil trade.

The US Coast Guard is targeting a "sanctioned, dark fleet vessel," that is flying a false flag and is under a judicial seizure order, the US official said Dec. 21.

The enforcement actions could disrupt Venezuelan oil trade flows, which have relied heavily on shadow fleet operations to circumvent US sanctions.

According to the New York Times Dec. 21, the tanker in pursuit today is the Bella 1. According to S&P Global Commodities at Sea, Bella 1 is northeast to the Caribbean Sea and listed as a sanctioned vessel.

Kristi Noem, Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, announced the Dec. 20 seizure on X, describing it as a "pre-dawn action" involving the Coast Guard with support from the Department of War.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said the seized tanker "contained sanctioned PDVSA oil" and "was a falsely flagged vessel operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet," according to a Dec. 20 statement on X.

The White House could not be reached for comment.

Venezuela's Vice President and Minister of Hydrocarbons Delcy Rodriguez condemned the Dec. 20 seizure as "a serious act of piracy," saying the government would file complaints with the UN Security Council and other multilateral organizations.

"The Venezuelan government categorically denounces and rejects the theft and hijacking of a private vessel carrying Venezuelan oil and the enforced disappearance of its crew, actions perpetrated by US military personnel in international waters," Rodriguez said on her Instagram account Dec. 20.

Also according to the New York Times, the US seized the vessel Centuries on Dec. 20. CAS data shows the Panama-flagged Centuries currently sitting offshore Venezuela, having most recently departed Singapore on Oct. 20. CAS does not show the Centuries as being sanctioned.

On Dec. 16, Trump ordered a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers to and from Venezuela, escalating pressure to remove Maduro from power.

That followed the US seizure of the oil tanker Skipper Dec. 10 and subsequent sanctions against six shipping companies and tankers operating in Venezuela's oil sector.

The US' seizure of the Skipper was unique, according to maritime lawyers Carmella O'Hanlon and David Tannenbaum, as it has the potential to enable broader enforcement actions against an estimated 150 tankers operating outside US sanctions licenses in Venezuelan waters, the lawyers said at an industry webinar Dec. 19.

There were 17 vessels en route to Venezuela on Dec. 19, according to S&P Global Commodities at Sea tanker data. Of the 17, at least six are currently listed as sanctioned. Fourteen out of 37 vessels leaving Venezuela are on a sanctioned list, according to CAS.

The Trump administration's pressure on Maduro could either help or harm oil supplies from the region in 2026, according to experts following the issue.