Overview
- A third vessel, identified by some reports as the Panama-flagged Bella 1, was intercepted on December 21 following the seizure of the Centuries on Saturday and the Skipper on December 10.
- U.S. officials say the operations are led by the Coast Guard with Defense Department support, using helicopter insertions and what they described as an “accepted boarding.”
- Questions over legal grounds intensified after outlets reported the Centuries was not on a U.S. sanctions list, while the White House asserted it carried PDVSA oil under a false flag and cited maritime right-of-visit authority.
- Venezuela condemned the actions as piracy and alleged the crew was unlawfully detained, with officials vowing to bring complaints to international bodies.
- Tanker tracking data and analysts report an effective embargo, with loaded ships loitering off Venezuela and carriers avoiding ports, even as some authorized shipments, such as Chevron’s, continue under exemptions.