A Panamanian-flagged oil tanker has successfully evaded seizure by U.S. forces following a two-day pursuit, as Washington continues to escalate its blockade of Venezuelan oil exports.
By Monday evening, the oil tanker Bella 1 had managed to escape capture by the U.S. Coast Guard after initially being intercepted on Saturday while en route to Venezuela to load crude oil. According to reports, U.S. vessels attempted to stop the ship for boarding, but the Bella 1 refused to comply and conducted evasive maneuvers before fleeing into the Atlantic Ocean.
During the pursuit, the vessel reportedly broadcast multiple distress signals while the Coast Guard remained in active pursuit. The chase ultimately ended without the ship being boarded or seized.
The Bella 1 had previously been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2024 over alleged links to Iran. Its escape comes amid an aggressive escalation by the Trump administration aimed at enforcing a de facto blockade of Venezuelan oil exports.
Last week, President Donald Trump announced what he described as a “total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into, and out of, Venezuela,” marking a significant escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Since that announcement, U.S. forces have seized two oil tankers, the Skipper and the Centuries. The Centuries was reportedly carrying approximately 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil destined for China. Unlike the Skipper and the Bella 1, the Centuries had not been previously sanctioned by the United States, raising questions about whether the blockade is being enforced as sanctions compliance or as a broader effort to halt all Venezuelan oil exports regardless of legal status.
Despite the blockade, reports indicate that some Russian tankers carrying naphtha—a critical diluent used to process Venezuela’s heavy crude—have reached Venezuelan ports in recent days. Other vessels are believed to have disabled their navigation transponders in an attempt to evade detection.
Since the enactment of Trump’s blockade last week, the stated justification for the operation has shifted. Initial claims focused on counter-narcotics enforcement, but administration messaging has increasingly framed the actions as a response to what Washington alleges is Venezuela’s theft of American oil assets, a reference to nationalizations carried out under former President Hugo Chavez.
Meanwhile, U.S. military operations in the region have continued, with Washington claiming to target vessels involved in drug trafficking. According to reports, the death toll from these strikes has now surpassed 100 since operations began in early September.