WASHINGTON (FN) — The United States is considering deploying additional military and Coast Guard assets to forcibly board a sanctioned oil tanker that fled into international waters near Venezuela after evading an attempted interdiction last weekend, U.S. officials said.
The tanker, identified by maritime tracking groups as the Bella 1, has refused repeated Coast Guard orders to stop and allow boarding. The vessel made a sharp turn and continued sailing into the Atlantic, prompting a days‑long pursuit by U.S. cutters and surveillance aircraft that have been rotating through the area as the chase continues.
Officials said the administration is weighing whether to dispatch a Maritime Special Response Team, an elite Coast Guard unit trained to seize control of non‑compliant vessels in high‑risk operations. The team has been used in past counter‑narcotics and sanctions‑enforcement missions.
The White House has described the Bella 1 as a “dark fleet” vessel operating under a false flag and subject to a U.S. judicial seizure order because of its prior involvement in sanctioned oil transfers. The tanker is believed to be linked to Venezuela’s sanctions‑evasion network, though it is currently empty, reducing the urgency of a forced boarding, officials said.
The pursuit marks the third U.S. operation targeting a sanctioned tanker in less than two weeks, following the successful seizures of the Skipper and the Centuries, both of which were escorted to Texas for inspection and legal processing.
The Coast Guard has struggled to bring the Bella 1 under control, with officials saying additional forces are needed before any attempt to board the vessel can be made safely. For now, cutters continue to shadow the tanker as it moves through Caribbean waters, refusing to comply with U.S. commands.
The operation comes amid heightened U.S. pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump ordered a blockade on all sanctioned ships entering or leaving Venezuela, intensifying efforts to disrupt what U.S. officials describe as an illicit oil‑export network tied to both sanctions evasion and narcotics trafficking.
Despite the buildup, officials acknowledge the administration may ultimately decide to abandon the pursuit if the tanker continues to outrun U.S. assets or if the risks of a forced boarding outweigh the benefits. For now, however, the Coast Guard remains in active pursuit as specialized teams move into position.
