By Zoila Palma: The United States is weighing whether to deploy additional resources to forcibly board the oil tanker Bella 1 after it evaded a Coast Guard interdiction and fled into international waters near Venezuela last weekend, according to people familiar with the matter.
US officials are considering sending a specialized Maritime Special Response Team trained to seize control of noncompliant vessels, though they acknowledge the administration could still decide to abandon the pursuit, CNN reports.
The White House has described the Bella 1 as a sanctioned “dark fleet” vessel sailing under a false flag and said it is subject to a judicial order allowing seizure.
The tanker refused to stop when approached by the Coast Guard, made a sudden turn, and has continued sailing in the Atlantic. Unlike two other tankers — the Skipper and the Centuries — which were successfully intercepted and piloted to Texas, the Bella 1 is currently empty, reducing the urgency to board it, officials said.
The chase is part of President Donald Trump’s directive to enforce a blockade on Venezuelan oil exports, aimed at cutting off a key revenue source for President Nicolás Maduro’s government.
While Trump has ordered a significant US military buildup in the Caribbean, including the deployment of the USS Gerald Ford, officials said the immediate focus remains on enforcing oil sanctions rather than broader military action.
The post International News: US weighs forcible boarding of sanctioned oil tanker after high-seas chase near Venezuela appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: The United States is weighing whether to deploy additional resources to forcibly board the oil tanker Bella 1 after it evaded a Coast Guard interdiction and fled into international waters near Venezuela last weekend, according to people familiar with the matter. US officials are considering sending a specialized Maritime Special Response Team
The post International News: US weighs forcible boarding of sanctioned oil tanker after high-seas chase near Venezuela appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
