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U.S. Pursues Third Tanker in Venezuela Crackdown as Trump Warns Maduro

International backlash over the seizures triggers a UN Security Council review.

A U.S. military helicopter flies over the Panama-flagged Centuries, which was intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard, days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, east of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea December 20, 2025. DHS/Handout via REUTERS
This screen grab taken from a video posted on the X account of US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem shows the Centuries crude oil tanker, last docked in Venezuela, as it is apprehended by the US Coast Guard on December 20, 2025
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Lawmaker Giuseppe Alessandrello gives a speech during an extraordinary session at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Overview

  • The Coast Guard is chasing the Panama‑flagged Bella 1 near Venezuelan waters, with U.S. officials saying it is under a judicial seizure order, flying a false flag and previously sanctioned in June 2024 over links to Iranian crude and Hezbollah‑related networks.
  • Two tankers have already been taken: the Skipper on Dec. 10 under a U.S. warrant and the Centuries over the weekend, the latter carrying about 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan oil despite not being on a U.S. sanctions list.
  • President Donald Trump has declared a "total and complete" blockade on sanctioned tankers and said the U.S. will keep or potentially sell seized oil and ships, as a reinforced military presence supports interdictions offshore.
  • Venezuela condemns the actions as piracy, while China and Russia call the seizures unlawful and pledge support for Caracas ahead of Tuesday’s Security Council session.
  • Export activity has slowed at Venezuelan ports, some tankers have reversed course, and analysts say tightening interdictions are starting to squeeze hard‑currency inflows to an already fragile, oil‑dependent economy.