The sanctioned oil tanker BELLA 1 refused boarding by the U.S. Coast Guard off Venezuela's coast during the 29 minutes from 7:17 PM to 7:46 PM UTC on December 21, 2025, prompting active pursuit by U.S. forces, according to a New York Times article cited in an X post by @trbrtc. The X post, shared by @trbrtc referencing New York Times reporters Nick Nehamas, Tyler Pager, Anatoly Kurmanaev, and Eric Schmitt, stated the tanker refused boarding amid U.S. efforts to enforce sanctions on Venezuelan oil shipments. The report links to a New York Times article published on December 21, 2025. This development follows U.S. Coast Guard pursuits of BELLA 1 earlier on December 21, including distress signals near coordinates 18N 58W reported in prior periods, as stated by U.S. officials to Reuters and the Washington Post. The tanker, identified as IMO 9230880 and flying a false flag, was under a judicial seizure order during previous reporting windows.
