21.12.2025 23:45
The United States conducted an operation against the oil tanker 'Bella 1', which flies the Panamanian flag. The ship was stopped by U.S. forces while loading crude oil from Venezuela. This marked the third operation by the U.S. against a Venezuelan oil tanker. These operations are said to be aimed at cutting off Venezuela's oil revenues and ensuring the enforcement of international sanctions.
US forces intervened with the third Venezuelan oil tanker under sanctions. The Panama-flagged "Bella 1" was stopped while heading to Venezuela to load oil. With this development, the number of seized vessels since December 10 has risen to three.
NO OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE US AND VENEZUELA
According to reports in the US press, neither the US nor Venezuela has made an official statement regarding the latest operation. In previous operations, tankers named Skipper and Centuries were seized on December 10 and Saturday, respectively.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNEY OF BELLA 1
Bella 1, subject to US OFAC sanctions, exported 7.3 million barrels of Iranian crude oil and 3.7 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil to China between October 2021 and September 2025, and received 7.4 million barrels of Iranian crude oil and 1.9 million barrels of Venezuelan oil through STS (ship-to-ship) transfer.
During the operation, it was noted that the tanker was empty as it approached Venezuela.
TENSIONS IN THE REGION ARE RISING
These interventions are raising tensions between the US and Venezuela, while the Washington administration states that it aims to enforce sanctions and control oil revenues. The Caracas administration, on the other hand, describes the US operations as "international piracy."