[News] US pursues oil tanker Bella 1 near Venezuela, mulls pirating the ship

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-pursues-oil-tanker-bella-1-near-venezuela--mulls-pirating>
US pursues oil tanker Bella 1 near Venezuela, mulls pirating the ship
Al Mayadeen English
December 27, 2025
------------------------------

The US is attempting to seize the oil tanker Bella 1 after it evaded a
Coast Guard approach near Venezuela.

   - [image: US Coast Guard boat moves on the East River near the United
   Nations Headquarters in New York, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025 (AP)]
   <https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/12/27/a7927b61-ea55-4ccc-9f6f-846cf02b6f2a.jpg?width=1000>
   US Coast Guard boat moves on the East River near the United Nations
   Headquarters in New York, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025 (*AP*)

The United States is continuing its pursuit
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/oil-seizure-remarks-reveal-trump-s-resource-imperialism-agen>
of a large, rusted oil tanker that fled into international waters near
Venezuela last weekend, with officials now weighing whether to deploy
additional resources to pirate the vessel, *CNN *reported, citing people
familiar with the matter.

US officials no longer expect the tanker, the Bella 1, to return to port to
load oil, as it remains under pursuit by the US military and Coast Guard.
While there is a possibility the administration could ultimately abandon
efforts to seize the ship
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/venezuela-passes-law-to-counter-us-seizures-of-oil-tankers>,
officials said plans are currently being considered to send a specialized
Maritime Special Response Team, which is trained to board non-compliant
vessels, to take control of it.

The White House has claimed that the Bella 1 is a “dark fleet vessel”
operating under a false flag and subject to US sanctions. Officials further
claimed that the ship is covered by a judicial order
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/venezuela-warns-of-us-military-buildup-threatening-region-s>
authorizing its seizure.

The tanker refused to stop when approached by the Coast Guard last weekend,
instead making a U-turn and heading into the Atlantic Ocean, where it has
remained on the move since. One official said there is no immediate urgency
to board the vessel as it continues to sail away from Venezuela, noting
that the ship is currently empty.

Officials said it remains unclear why the crew of the Bella 1 declined to
comply with the Coast Guard’s interdiction attempt, unlike two previous
vessels
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/alba-condemns-us-seizure-of-2nd-oil-tanker-as-act-of-aggress>
that submitted to US authorities under similar circumstances.
US illegally begins seizing oil tankers near Venezuela

In December 2025, the United States Coast Guard and military intensified
actions against oil tankers
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/oil-tanker-seized-by-us-near-venezuela-owned-by-china--bloom>
near Venezuela, seizing the supertanker Skipper off the Caribbean coast on
December 10, marking a controversial escalation in US maritime operations
in the region. Critics, including Venezuela’s government, condemned the
seizure as a violation of international law and labeled it an act of piracy.

Just days later, on December 20, US forces intercepted another vessel
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-pirates-another-tanker-near-venezuela>,
Centuries, in international waters near Venezuela, where helicopters and
armed personnel reportedly took control. The operation drew sharp criticism
from regional actors who accused Washington of unlawful interference in
sovereign maritime trade.

The seizure of these ships came amid broader US efforts to pressure
Venezuela’s
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/venezuela-demands--35bln-in-reparations-from-us-for-oil-thef>
energy sector, with operations expanding beyond territorial waters.
Analysts noted the aggressive shift in US maritime strategy, warning of
heightened tensions and potential confrontations in the Caribbean.

Venezuela’s government vowed to bring the incidents before the United
Nations, denouncing them as violations of international maritime law. The
moves have raised concerns over the militarization of trade routes and the
erosion of norms governing freedom of navigation.
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