US Chased Oil Tanker Away From Venezuela Amid Blockade

A helicopter flies over the Centuries tanker, in an image from a video released by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on social media, on Dec. 20, 2025.Source: Kristi Noem/X

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By Eric Martin and Patricia Garip

December 24, 2025 at 8:10 PM UTC

Updated on

December 24, 2025 at 10:32 PM UTC

A sanctioned oil tanker pursued by US forces turned away from Venezuela and retreated out into the Atlantic Ocean, according to people familiar with the matter, as the Trump administration continues a blockade piling pressure on Caracas.

The US Coast Guard encountered the ship, Bella 1, amid bad weather near Barbados on Sunday and instructed the tanker to move to calmer waters for safe boarding, according to the people familiar with the operation, who asked not to be identified without permission to speak publicly.