"The pursuit of the tanker, which was confirmed by a U.S. official briefed on the operation, comes after the U.S. administration announced Saturday it had seized a tanker for the second time in less than two weeks. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the ongoing operation and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Sunday's pursuit involved "a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion.""
"Saturday's predawn seizure of a Panama-flagged vessel called Centuries targeted what the White House described as a "falsely flagged vessel operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet to traffic stolen oil." The Coast Guard, with assistance from the Navy, seized a sanctioned tanker called Skipper on Dec. 10, another part of the shadow fleet of tankers that the U.S. says operates on the fringes of the law to move sanctioned cargo."
"This past week Trump demanded that Venezuela return assets that it seized from U.S. oil companies years ago, justifying anew his announcement of a "blockade" against oil tankers traveling to or from the South American country that face American sanctions. Trump cited the lost U.S. investments in Venezuela when asked about his newest tactic in a pressure campaign against Maduro, suggesting the Republican administration's moves are at least somewhat motivated by disputes over oil"
U.S. forces pursued a tanker identified as part of Venezuela's sanctioned dark fleet evading sanctions. The vessel flew a false flag and was under a judicial seizure order. Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security deferred questions to the White House, which offered no comment. A Panama-flagged vessel named Centuries was seized predawn and described as a falsely flagged ship trafficking stolen oil. The Coast Guard, with Navy assistance, seized a tanker called Skipper on Dec. 10 that was not flying any nation's flag. President Donald Trump announced a 'blockade,' demanded return of assets seized from U.S. oil companies, and cited lost U.S. investments as part of pressure on President Nicolás Maduro.
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