U.S. authorities have launched a new operation targeting a vessel associated with sanctions-evasion mechanisms in Venezuela’s oil trade. According to a U.S. official, the action is grounded in a judicial seizure process. Authorities cite identity concealment and the use of a false flag. The episode extends a run of measures aimed at maritime crude transport linked to sanctioned entities.
A third action and a vessel identified by tracking data
On December 21, 2025, a U.S. official said the United States Coast Guard (USCG, U.S. Coast Guard) was pursuing a vessel described as a “sanctioned, dark fleet vessel” (sanctioned vessel from a dark fleet). The same source said the ship was sailing under a false flag and was subject to a judicial seizure order. The pursuit follows two tanker seizures involving Venezuelan crude, announced on December 20, 2025 and December 10, 2025. The sequence is presented as a series of actions concentrated on Venezuela’s oil trade.
Information relayed on December 21, 2025 identified the pursued vessel as the Bella 1. According to S&P Global Commodities at Sea (CAS, “Commodities at Sea” maritime tracking service), Bella 1 is listed as a sanctioned vessel and was located northeast of the Caribbean Sea. The same elements indicate that these actions fit a pattern in which vessels operate to limit cargo traceability. Reliance on such practices is described as a logistical pillar for crude shipments when restrictions apply to conventional trade routes.
Public messages in Washington and condemnation in Caracas
On December 20, 2025, Kristi Noem, secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS, U.S. Department of Homeland Security), announced a seizure on X. She described a pre-dawn operation attributed to the USCG with support referenced as coming from the Department of War (Department of War). The White House said the seized tanker contained sanctioned oil from Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA, Venezuela’s state oil company) and was operating under a false flag as part of what it described as a “shadow fleet” (shadow fleet). The White House did not respond to requests for comment at the time.
On the Venezuelan side, Vice President and Hydrocarbons Minister Delcy Rodríguez condemned the December 20, 2025 seizure and called it an act of piracy. She said the government would bring the matter to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC, United Nations Security Council) and other multilateral organizations. In an online post, she referred to the capture of a private vessel carrying Venezuelan oil and said the crew had been forcibly disappeared. Her statement describes the operation as having taken place in international waters and attributes the acts to U.S. military personnel.
Announced blockade, additional sanctions, and a reading of flows
On December 16, 2025, President Donald Trump ordered a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. The directive followed the seizure of the tanker Skipper on December 10, 2025, and subsequent sanctions against six shipping companies and tankers operating in Venezuela’s oil sector. At an industry webinar on December 19, 2025, maritime lawyers Carmella O’Hanlon and David Tannenbaum said the Skipper seizure stood out for its potential reach. They said it could enable broader actions against an estimated 150 tankers operating outside sanctions licenses in Venezuelan waters.
CAS data showed 17 vessels en route to Venezuela as of December 19, 2025, with at least six listed as sanctioned. Of 37 vessels leaving Venezuela, 14 appeared on a sanctions list under the same data. These figures provide an operational snapshot of the share of tonnage exposed to U.S. measures, without determining what logistical rerouting may follow. Experts tracking the issue said pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s government could, depending on outcomes, either support or reduce oil volumes from the region in 2026.
