Reuters: The US Coast Guard is waiting for more forces to seize the Venezuelan oil tanker

According to RCO News Agency, this oil tanker, which the marine groups have identified as “Bella 1”, refused to allow the coast guard to enter it. This means that the action will likely be assigned to one of only 2 specialist teams known as Maritime Security Response Teams, which can enter ships under these conditions, including by landing by helicopter.

Reuters reported, citing a US official and a source familiar with the matter: “The multi-day manhunt highlights the mismatch between the desire of the administration of US President Donald Trump to seize embargoed tankers near Venezuela and the limited resources of the Coast Guard, the agency that mainly conducts the operation.”

Unlike the US Navy, the Coast Guard can take law enforcement actions, including the entry and seizure of vessels subject to US sanctions.

Earlier this month, Trump ordered a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, in Washington’s latest move to increase pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The Coast Guard has seized two oil tankers near Venezuela in recent weeks. After the first seizure, on December 10, US Attorney General Pam Bundy released a 45-second video showing two helicopters approaching a ship and armed men in disguise landing on it.

“Coast Guard officials aboard the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford were part of a maritime security response team and were too far away from Bella 1 at the time to conduct the seizure,” said a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“There are limited teams trained for these types of seizures,” said Corey Ranselm, executive director of Dryad Global’s maritime security group and formerly of the US Coast Guard.

The US Department of Homeland Security has yet to comment, and Reuters could not determine why the Coast Guard did not seize the ship.

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