U.S. officials are considering ending the pursuit of the sanctioned oil tanker Bella 1, tracked by the U.S. Coast Guard since December 21 after it refused boarding and fled into the Atlantic en route to Venezuela, according to a CNN report shared on X by @Osint613 during the 28-minute reporting window ending at 5:15 PM UTC on December 31. The tanker's crew painted a Russian flag on the hull to complicate enforcement efforts, and U.S. officials stated the vessel is unlikely to return to Venezuela, though Coast Guard assets remain on standby for a potential White House-ordered boarding if directed, as detailed in the CNN article posted in the past half hour. This development follows a similar CNN report earlier on December 31 indicating the Trump administration may drop the nearly two-week chase, amid ongoing U.S. sanctions enforcement related to Venezuela. The update occurs against the backdrop of heightened U.S.-Venezuela tensions, including President Donald Trump's declassification earlier today of a CIA operation inside Venezuela on December 24, as reported by U.S. officials in The Wall Street Journal.
