U.S. Seizes Oil Tanker That Evaded Coast Guard in North Atlantic

The United States on Wednesday seized an oil tanker in the North Atlantic that had been eluding a U.S. crackdown on Venezuela’s energy exports, U.S. officials said. The vessel, until recently known as the Bella 1, had been avoiding the Coast Guard after being stopped in the Caribbean while bound to pick up oil in Venezuela.

The ship’s crew began flying a Russian flag and Russia dispatched at least one naval vessel to meet and escort it, but "there were no Russian vessels in the area when the Coast Guard boarded the ship," two U.S. officials briefed on the operation said. One U.S. official said the crew did not resist the boarding.

The military sent a large force to assist the Coast Guard, including a Navy P-8 aircraft and AC-130 gunships; flight-tracking sites showed several U.S. military aircraft leaving bases in Britain toward the tanker. Ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic indicated the vessel had been sailing northeast between Iceland and Britain.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on social media that the Bella 1 had made "a desperate and failed attempt to escape justice"; the White House declined to comment. Officials said the seizure signals continued enforcement of a partial blockade on Venezuelan oil after U.S.

Key Topics

World, Us Coast Guard, Venezuela, Russia, Nicolas Maduro, Shadow Fleet