The U.S. Coast Guard “is in active pursuit” of a sanctioned vessel in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, two U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter tell NBC News.
“The United States Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion. It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order,” one of the officials say.
This vessel, known as Bella 1, was placed on the U.S. sanctions list in June 2024, according to a person familiar with the list.
The vessel was sanctioned under counterterrorism authority for its involvement in the network of Houthi financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal, according to the source.
Shadow fleet vessels usually do not operate exclusively for one country, the person added.
If caught, this will be the third vessel intercepted by the U.S. in the Caribbean. On Saturday, the Pentagon interdicted a second tanker which the White House said carried sanctioned oil on board.
Earlier this month, an initial, sanctioned boat known as the Skipper was seized off the coast of Venezuela.
Earlier Saturday, two U.S. officials told NBC News that the Coast Guard was in the middle of an ongoing operation off the Venezuelan coast. The operation was first reported by Reuters.
Tensions have been flaring between the U.S. and Venezuela, with the Trump administration conducting strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific.
President Donald Trump did not rule out the possibility of war with Venezuela earlier this week.
