"Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Bella-1 had "been trying to evade the Coast Guard for weeks, even changing its flag and painting a new name on the hull." "The heroic crew of the USCGC Munro pursued this vessel across the high seas and through treacherous storms," she said."
"Russian vessels including a submarine were in the vicinity of the tanker during the operation, but there were no signs of a military confrontation, per Reuters."
"Moscow had previously said the tanker was "in full compliance with the norms of international maritime law" and was receiving "clearly disproportionate attention.""
"Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. would be taking as many as 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil from Venezuela, worth about $2.5 billion, and would share the profits with Venezuela."
Bella-1 allegedly attempted to evade the U.S. Coast Guard for weeks, changing its flag and repainting its name, prompting pursuit by the USCGC Munro across high seas and through severe storms. Russian vessels, including a submarine, were nearby during the operation but no military confrontation occurred. Moscow maintained the tanker complied with international maritime law and criticized the attention it received. The U.S. also seized a so-called stateless tanker, M/T Sophia, in the Caribbean. The Trump administration cited Venezuela’s ties to Russia, China, and Iran when targeting Nicolás Maduro, and announced plans to take up to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
Read at Axios
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