The Bella 1 had sent over 75 distress signals.
The crew of the oil tanker Bella 1, which has been pursued in the Atlantic Ocean by the U.S. Coast Guard since December 21, recently painted a Russian flag on the vessel, two American officials told the New York Times. The crew of the tanker, attempting to evade American forces, painted the flag on the side of the ship in an apparent attempt to secure Russian protection. The tanker has been under U.S. sanctions since 2024. It was heading toward a Venezuelan port to pick up oil, even though the region is currently blocked by the Americans.
The ship was flying an invalid national flag
The Coast Guard pursued the tanker Bella 1 in the Caribbean Sea after determining that it was flying an invalid national flag. However, the ship did not obey commands and continued to sail. Since then, it has been under active pursuit by American forces.
What is happening with Bella 1 and how is Iran involved?
The Bella 1 was added to the U.S. sanctions list in 2024 as part of a campaign to counter the financing of the Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement, which governs northern Yemen. U.S. authorities obtained a warrant to seize a tanker pursued by the Coast Guard in the Caribbean because the vessel had previously been used for the Iranian oil trade, rather than because of its current links to Venezuela, the New York Times previously reported.
Active pursuit
However, the ship resisted boarding and continued its course, according to one official. A second official characterized the current situation as an "active pursuit" involving multiple naval assets.
Bella 1 had sent over 75 distress signals
On December 21, the vessel began broadcasting distress signals to nearby ships. The Bella 1 had sent over 75 SOS signals in total. However, the transponder tracking the tanker's location had been deactivated since December 17. On December 20, American forces boarded another tanker to send a message to the President of Venezuela, Axios reported, citing sources. According to Axios, that tanker was transporting Venezuelan oil in an attempt to bypass the maritime blockade.
The US sent a message
Even if we do not seize the oil, we are sending a message to anyone who decides to play this game that we will intercept them at our discretion. Who would want to take that risk, a U.S. official stated. The head of the Pentagon declared that the U.S. military will hold all tankers leaving Venezuela until the South American head of state, Maduro, returns all stolen American assets. Trump, for his part, stated that the United States intends to keep the seized tankers off the coast of Venezuela along with the oil they carry. The oil could be sold or added to U.S. strategic reserves.
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