US ‘pursuing’ a third vessel near Venezuela hours after seizing tanker, reports say

The back-to-back seizures are part of Trump’s growing pressure campaign on Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro

The United States is pursuing another vessel off the coast of Venezuela, the second such operation this weekend.

“The United States Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion,” a U.S. official told Reuters. “It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.”

Another official said the tanker was under sanctions, but added that it had not been boarded so far and that interceptions can take different forms — including sailing or flying close to vessels of concern.

The move is an escalation of President Donald Trump’s targeting of a “shadow fleet” after he announced a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

The officials, who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, did not say which tanker was being intercepted. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The US Coast Guard boards an oil tanker on Dec. 20 that was last docked in Venezuela (Department of Homeland Security)

Bloomberg had earlier reported that US forces boarded a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker sanctioned by the US that was en route to Venezuela to load.

The White House's National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said Sunday that the first two oil tankers seized by the U.S. were operating on the black market and providing oil to sanctioned countries.

"And so I don't think that people need to be worried here in the U.S. that the prices are going to go up because of these seizures of these ships," Hassett said. "There's just a couple of them, and they were black market ships."

But one oil trader told Reuters the seizures raise geopolitical risks and probably will push oil prices higher when Asian trading resumes Monday. On the other hand, expectations of an end to the war in Ukraine could help keep oil's price gains in check, the trader said.

‘Total blockade’ on sanctioned tankers

Trump on Tuesday said he was ordering "A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela."

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a warning Saturday after the second seizure of a tanker that contained sanctioned PDVSA oil.

"The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region," Noem wrote in a statement posted to social media. "We will find you, and we will stop you."

In the days since U.S. forces seized the first tanker, there has been an effective embargo in place, with loaded vessels carrying millions of barrels of oil staying in Venezuelan waters rather than risk seizure.