A Chinese ship reached waters close to Venezuela and a second is on its way to the area between 7:17 PM and 7:45 PM UTC on December 31, according to a Lloyd's List report cited in an X post by @NuryVittachi. The post states the vessels are approaching a region where U.S. forces have seized ships and taken their cargo. Ten F-22 Raptors from the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base departed for Puerto Rico on December 31 as #KICK, #CUBE81, and #ROGUE1 flights, supported by #RCH008 and #RCH047 tankers from McGuire Air Force Base, per an X post by @CoronetEast shared in the same 28-minute window. These developments occur amid U.S.-Venezuela tensions, including U.S. officials considering ending pursuit of the sanctioned oil tanker Bella 1 tracked by the U.S. Coast Guard since December 21 after it refused boarding, according to a CNN report from earlier on December 31.
