The United States has not abandoned its pursuit of a massive rusted oil tanker chased into international waters near Venezuela last weekend and is now contemplating additional resources to forcibly board the vessel, people familiar with the matter said, according to a CNN report shared via X at approximately 4:30 a.m. UTC on Dec. 27 in the 29-minute reporting window ending at 4:45 a.m. UTC. CNN's report, posted by @AZ_Intel_ at https://x.com/AZ_Intel_/status/2004768458597179492 between 4:15 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. UTC, states U.S. officials remain committed to intercepting the tanker amid ongoing operations. This development occurs amid U.S.-Venezuela tensions, including TankerTrackers.com's estimate yesterday of 17.5 million barrels of Venezuelan crude stranded on tankers due to a U.S. blockade, as reported in prior coverage. U.S. military assets, such as an E-11A aircraft tracked at San Juan airport and prior tanker support for B-1B bombers southeast of the Bahamas, have been active in the Caribbean region during Dec. 27, according to X posts from @FrozenFrequency and others.
