U.S. Coast Guard pursues oil tanker linked to Venezuela.This article is by Nicholas Nahamas, Christiane Trebert, Tyler Pager, Anatoly Kramanov, and Eric Schmidt.The US Coast Guard on Saturday tried to intercept an oil tanker linked to Venezuela that is now fleeing away from the Caribbean Sea, according to three U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive operation days after President Trump said he would crack down on sanctioned vessels involved in the country's oil trade.The tanker, called the Bella One, was on route to pick up oil in Venezuela and was not carrying cargo, according to one of the officials and ship tracking data, and fled northeast into the Atlantic Ocean. The tanker has been under U.S. sanctions since last year for transporting Iranian oil, which federal authorities say is sold to finance terrorism.When U.S. forces approached the Bella One late on Saturday, it was not flying a valid national flag, the official said, making it a stateless vessel liable to be boarded at sea under international law.American authorities had obtained A seizure warrant from a federal Magistrate Judge which would allow them to take possession of the ship. Two of the officials said the warrant had been sought because of the Bella One's previous involvement in the Iranian oil trade, not because of its links to Venezuela.But the ship did not submit to being boarded and continued sailing, one of the officials said. A second official referred to the situation as an active pursuit.On Sunday morning, the vessel began broadcasting distress signals to nearby ships, according to radio messages reviewed by The Times and 1st posted online by a maritime Blogger. The messages show the vessel traveling northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, more than 300 miles away from Antigua and Barbuda. By Sunday evening, Bella One had sent over 75 alerts.The Coast Guard had successfully boarded another tanker earlier on Saturday and the United States had taken possession of 1/3 tanker on December 10th that is now at port in Texas. the US actions represented a significant escalation of Mr. Trump's pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela. They come as Mr. Maduro has ordered Venezuelan Navy vessels to accompany some oil tankers leaving his country, raising the possibility of an armed confrontation at sea.The Bella one had not yet reached Venezuelan waters and did not have such an escort, according to one of the officials and ship tracking data.Mr. Trump has accused Mr. Maduro of flooding the United States with fentanyl and of stealing oil from American companies without providing evidence. Venezuela's economy depends on exporting oil, and the seizures are an attempt to squeeze this vital trade.Earlier on Saturday morning, the Coast Guard had stopped and boarded a second vessel, the Centuries, which had recently picked up oil in Venezuela and was headed E. Two people inside Venezuela's oil industry said the cargo belonged to an oil trader based in China.Unlike in the Bella One case, U.S. forces did not have a warrant to seize the centuries. It was unclear how long the United States intended to detain the vessel, which was flying under a Panamanian flag. A US official said that the Coast Guard was trying to determine whether the ship's Panama registration was valid. Mr. Trump signaled on Tuesday that more seizures were coming, announcing a complete blockade on oil tankers that were traveling to and from Venezuela and were under U.S. sanctions. But.The Centuries does not appear on a public list of entities under U.S. sanctions maintained by the Treasury Department.$BTC #nytimes #TrumpTariffs