据称，美国的战略是针对委内瑞拉的幽灵油轮舰队

The United States has begun aggressively pursuing oil tankers operating near Venezuela as part of a new legal strategy aimed at confiscating vessels involved in the global trade of sanctioned oil, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing U.S. Justice Department officials.

The approach was on display in recent days when the U.S. Coast Guard chased the Bella 1, a sanctioned tanker whose crew reportedly refused to allow boarding. The Bella 1 marks the third vessel targeted after U.S. authorities took control of two other large crude carriers, the Skipper and the Centuries.

Unlike those earlier ships, which were carrying close to 2 million barrels of Venezuelan crude when boarded, shipping analysts at Kpler said the Bella 1 was likely not carrying oil when the pursuit began. The firm noted that shortly after the Skipper was seized, the Bella 1 initially altered course away from Venezuela before later reversing direction back toward the country.

U.S. officials said the effort represents a shift beyond simply seizing sanctioned cargo. Authorities are now focusing on dismantling the so-called “ghost fleet” of tankers that facilitate illicit oil trading worldwide.

Venezuela has condemned the actions, characterizing them as outright theft and accusing Washington of piracy. Officials in Caracas said the Trump administration was attempting to appropriate Venezuelan oil and strip the country of its energy resources.

Expedited seizure warrants

At the center of the operation is a specialized Threat Finance Unit within the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. According to the office’s leadership, the unit handles these cases because of both its expertise in financial threats and jurisdictional authority. The pace and scale of tanker seizures have increased sharply this year as part of a broader security push under President Donald Trump.

Officials said the unit has pursued similar cases in the past, but recent resources devoted to tracking tankers have significantly accelerated the process. Investigators can now assemble the evidence needed to request a seizure warrant within weeks, rather than months.

As more warrants move through the courts, the crackdown threatens to sharply curtail Venezuelan crude exports. It could also disrupt oil flows to countries that rely on the shadow tanker network, including Cuba, Iran, Russia and China.

U.S. confiscates oil, ships

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump said the U.S. intends to retain both the seized oil and the vessels themselves, citing the deployment of an unprecedented maritime presence in the region.

Operationally, the Coast Guard has led the actions, underscoring that the campaign is being framed as law enforcement rather than a military blockade. Videos shared publicly by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem show personnel descending by rope from helicopters onto tanker decks.

Former Coast Guard chief counsel William Baumgartner said the service maintains specialized teams trained to board and secure vessels of this kind. Under international maritime law, he explained, ships can be stopped and searched to determine compliance with U.S. regulations, particularly if they are deemed stateless or operating under false flags.

In the case of the Skipper, which was boarded on Dec. 10, U.S. officials said authorities executed a seizure warrant and are now moving through legal proceedings to retain the cargo. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on whether similar warrants had been issued for the Centuries or the Bella 1, noting that such orders are often sealed until enforcement actions occur. The Centuries was taken into U.S. control on Saturday.

The tanker seizures strike directly at the financial foundation of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, whose government depends heavily on oil revenue. Roughly 70% of the country’s crude exports move through a fleet of sanctioned vessels now increasingly in the U.S. crosshairs.

Trump has also ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, a step that represents a significant escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against the Maduro government, the Journal reported.