The United States Coast Guard is awaiting the arrival of reinforcements before attempting to board and seize an oil tanker linked to Venezuela, which has been pursued since Sunday (21), they told Reuters a US official and a source familiar with the matter.
The ship, identified by maritime groups as Bella 1, refused to be boarded by the Coast Guard. This means the task will likely fall to one of only two teams of specialists — known as Maritime Security Response Teams — that can approach vessels in these circumstances, including by rappelling from helicopters.
The pursuit, which has lasted for days, highlights the discrepancy between the Trump administration’s desire to seize sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela and the limited resources of the agency carrying out the operations, the Coast Guard.
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Unlike the U.S. Navy, the Coast Guard can carry out law enforcement actions, including the seizure of vessels subject to U.S. sanctions.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump ordered a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, in the latest move by Washington to increase pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
In recent weeks, the Coast Guard seized two oil tankers near Venezuela. After the first action, on December 10, US Attorney General Pam Bondi published a 45-second video showing two helicopters approaching a vessel and armed and camouflaged individuals rappelling onto the vessel.
A Saturday social media post by the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Coast Guard, showed what appeared to be officers aboard the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford preparing to depart and seize the oil tanker Centuries, the second ship boarded by the U.S.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Coast Guard officers aboard the Ford were from a Maritime Security Response Team and at that time were too far away from the Bella 1 to conduct a boarding operation.
“There are a limited number of teams trained for this type of approach,” said Corey Ranslem, executive director of maritime security group Dryad Global and a former member of the U.S. Coast Guard.
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The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters was unable to determine what other reasons, if any, the Coast Guard had not yet seized the vessel.
The administration could ultimately choose not to board the vessel.
The White House said the United States is still “actively searching for a sanctioned clandestine fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion.”
