Bloomberg: US seizes third oil tanker off Venezuela under Trump blockade

The United States has intercepted a third oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela as part of the blockade announced by President Donald Trump, people with knowledge of the matter said.

According to the sources, the US boarded the Panama-flagged tanker Bella 1, which was under American sanctions. The vessel was en route to Venezuela to pick up cargo, Bloomberg reports.

The interdiction follows the boarding of the Centuries supertanker on December 20 and the Skipper on December 10.

This week, Trump announced a full and comprehensive blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers heading to and from Venezuela. He labeled the country’s government a terrorist organization for stealing Washington’s assets, terrorism, drug trafficking, and human trafficking.

The American leader promised that US military activity around Venezuela would increase, stating that the country will not allow criminals, terrorists, or other nations to loot, threaten, or harm America or seize oil, land, or any other assets that must be returned immediately.

On December 16, Maduro urged US citizens to resist what he described as a Trump-driven conflict over Venezuelan oil.

By Jeyhun Aghazada