The U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday attempted to intercept a Venezuela-linked oil tanker now fleeing the Caribbean Sea, according to three U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive operation, days after President Trump said he would crack down on sanctioned ships involved in the country's oil trade.
The tanker, named Bella 1, was on its way to pick up oil in Venezuela and was not carrying any cargo, they said One of the officers and ship tracking data and fled northeast into the Atlantic Ocean. The tanker has been under U.S. sanctions since last year for carrying Iranian oil, which federal authorities say is sold to finance terrorism.
When U.S. forces approached the Bella 1 late Saturday, it was not flying a valid national flag, the officials said, making it a stateless ship that could be boarded at sea under international law.
American authorities had received a seizure order from a federal judge that would allow them to take possession of the ship, two of the officials said. The arrest warrant was requested because of Bella 1's previous involvement in the Iranian oil trade, not because of its ties to Venezuela.
But the ship refused to be boarded and continued sailing, one of the officials said. A second officer described the situation as an “active pursuit.”
On Sunday morning, the ship began broadcasting distress signals to nearby ships, according to radio messages reviewed by The Times and first published online by a maritime blogger. The reports show the ship is heading northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, more than 300 miles from Antigua and Barbuda. As of Sunday evening, Bella 1 had sent out over 75 alerts.
The Coast Guard had successfully boarded another tanker earlier on Saturday, and the United States had taken possession of a third tanker on December 10, now in port in Texas.
The US actions marked a significant escalation of Mr Trump's pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. They come as Mr Maduro has ordered Venezuelan navy ships to escort some oil tankers leaving his country – raising the possibility of an armed confrontation at sea. According to an official and ship tracking data, the Bella 1 had not yet reached Venezuelan waters and did not have such an escort.
Mr. Trump has accused Mr. Maduro of flooding the United States with fentanyl and stealing oil from American companies, without providing evidence. Venezuela's economy depends on oil exports, and the seizures are an attempt to suppress this vital trade.
On Saturday morning, the Coast Guard stopped and boarded a second ship, the Centuries, which had recently taken on oil in Venezuela and was heading east. Two people in the Venezuelan oil industry said the cargo belonged to an oil trader based in China.
Unlike the Bella 1 case, US forces did not have a warrant to seize the Centuries. It was unclear how long the United States planned to detain the Panamanian-flagged ship. A U.S. official said the Coast Guard was trying to determine whether the ship's Panama registration was valid.
Mr. Trump hinted on Tuesday that more seizures would occur, announcing a “complete blockade” of oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela in violation of U.S. sanctions. The Centuries, however, do not appear on a public list maintained by the Treasury Department of companies subject to U.S. sanctions.
The events have heightened uncertainty about the Trump administration's ultimate intentions. If the United States continues to allow most ships to enter and leave Venezuelan ports freely, it is not a true blockade that would constitute an act of war. Instead, the operation would more closely resemble a law enforcement operation.
Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said in a social media post Saturday afternoon that the Coast Guard had “captured” a tanker docked in Venezuela, apparently referring to the Centuries.
“The United States will continue to pursue the illicit transportation of sanctioned oil used to finance narco-terrorism in the region,” she wrote. “We will find you and we will stop you.”
Ms. Noem also released a video that appeared to show U.S. forces rappelling from a helicopter onto the ship's deck.
The White House declined to comment on the boarding of the Centuries and did not immediately respond to questions about the Bella 1 interception.
In response to the Centuries' boarding, the Venezuelan government stated that the country “denounces and categorically rejects the theft and hijacking of another private vessel carrying Venezuelan oil, as well as the enforced disappearance of its crew.”
The ships attacked are part of a ghost fleet of tankers carrying oil from Iran, Venezuela and Russia in violation of sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries. Shipping and energy experts estimate that these ghost tankers make up up to 20 percent of the global tanker fleet.
The ships often disguise where they are traveling and submit false documentation.
According to a New York Times analysis of satellite imagery and ship tracking data, the Bella 1 spoofed its location signal on its previous voyage, a method known as spoofing that can be done by transmitting fake data via location transponders. The analysis shows that the Bella 1 picked up oil from Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export terminal, in August. The tanker then transferred its cargo to another tanker off the coast of Oman before making its way to the Caribbean, where it was intercepted.
According to internal data from the country's state oil company, the Bella 1 was last scheduled to load Venezuelan crude in November, when it was awarded a contract for one million barrels. According to the data, the oil was purchased by a company linked to Ramón Carretero, a Panamanian businessman who was subject to US sanctions this month over his financial dealings with the Maduro family.
Trump administration officials said the boarding operations were part of an effort to weaken the finances of Mr. Maduro's government. Much of Venezuela's oil goes to China, sometimes through a complex resale network with Cuba. However, some have a special license to enter the United States.
The United States has long opposed Mr. Maduro; Democratic and Republican administrations have called him a dictator and accused him of corruption and human rights abuses.
Mr. Trump claimed in a social media post that Mr. Maduro's government was using oil to finance “drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder and kidnapping.” But he has not provided any public evidence.
The USA has been building up a strong military presence in the Caribbean for months. Since September, American forces have killed at least 104 people in attacks on boats that the government says are smuggling drugs. But the cocaine moving through Venezuela is generally destined for Europe, and many legal experts consider the boat attacks illegal.
The Venezuelan government has said the United States intends to seize its oil reserves, which are among the largest in the world. Mr. Trump and his top advisers have publicly expressed interest in controlling this bid.
On December 10, the conflict between the two nations intensified when armed U.S. agents boarded and seized a tanker called the Skipper that was carrying Venezuelan oil. The ship was flying a false flag and was under US sanctions because it had previously transported Iranian crude oil. As with the Bella 1, American authorities had obtained a seizure order for the ship due to its ties to Iran. The skipper's crew sailed to the port of Galveston, Texas, under Coast Guard supervision.
But the United States has not yet taken steps to seize the oil aboard the Skipper, a U.S. official said. That would require a separate trial, and prosecutors would likely have to provide evidence to support Mr. Trump's claim that Venezuelan oil was being used to support terrorism.
After the skipper episode, Mr. Maduro ordered his navy to escort oil tankers from Venezuelan ports.
Satellite images reviewed by The New York Times showed the Centuries heading east Thursday, flanked by three ships that may have belonged to the Venezuelan navy. The flotilla appeared to escort the supertanker and two other merchant ships to the border of Venezuela's exclusive economic zone. But these ships did not appear to have been present at the embarkation on Saturday.
The Centuries transported between 1.8 and two million barrels of Venezuelan oil and also engaged in manipulation. However, there are no known ties to Iran, and its last six trips have transported Venezuelan crude and fuel oil to Asia.
American authorities have identified other tankers carrying Venezuelan oil that also have ties to Iran and which they may seek to seize, people familiar with the discussions say. The threat of further seizures could deter tankers from traveling to Venezuela. According to TankerTrackers.com, a company that monitors global shipping, some ships that appeared to be headed there recently turned back.
Reporting was contributed by Edward Wong and John Ismay in Washington; Zolan Kanno-Youngs of West Palm Beach, Fla.; Riley Mellen of New York; and Simon Romero from Bogota, Colombia.