U.S. military forces are tracking an oil tanker linked to Iran and Venezuela after the vessel refused orders to stop and submit to boarding.
The tanker, known as the Bella 1, was spotted in the Atlantic Ocean after making a series of abrupt course changes while traveling near Venezuela.
The Wall Street Journal reported that American military commanders said the ship is significantly larger than any Coast Guard cutter and initially declined to comply when approached, prompting the Pentagon to assemble additional personnel and equipment.
More than five days into the operation, preparations are underway for possible forced boarding, including the deployment of a Maritime Special Response Team, a Coast Guard unit trained to board noncompliant or hostile vessels.
The pursuit is part of the U.S. effort to enforce sanctions on Venezuela's oil industry and disrupt revenue streams tied to President Nicolas Maduro.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro's government of narcotics trafficking and using oil exports to finance illicit activity.
The Bella 1 is sanctioned for allegedly transporting Iranian oil on behalf of groups designated by the U.S. as terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah and the Houthis.
The Treasury Department has also linked the vessel to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force.
Since December, the U.S. has seized multiple tankers carrying Venezuelan oil.
In those cases, crews complied with U.S. demands, and the ships were escorted to U.S. ports without incident. That makes the Bella 1's circumstances notable.
Retired Rear Adm. William Baumgartner, a former Coast Guard judge advocate general, said such resistance suggests the crew may be acting under outside direction.
The vessel is owned by Turkey-based Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises, which did not respond to requests for comment.
According to maritime tracking firm Kpler, Bella 1 has engaged in practices associated with shadow fleets, including disabling its transponder, conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers at sea, and falsely claiming registration under a foreign flag.
Kpler data indicates the tanker loaded crude oil in Iran in early September, later turning off its tracking system near the Strait of Hormuz.
When it reappeared weeks later, the cargo was no longer on board, suggesting it had been transferred to other vessels.
There is no urgency to board the ship. It moves slowly and cannot evade U.S. forces now that it's being tracked.
If the ship is boarded, the U.S. would act under a judicial seizure order and international maritime law, escorting the tanker to U.S. waters.
A similar operation last week resulted in the seizure of the tanker Centuries, which is headed to Galveston, Texas, where its oil will be unloaded.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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