The tanker Bella 1, which is on a U.S. blacklist, was reportedly intercepted by U.S. forces near Venezuela this past weekend. This vessel has a history of sanctions that goes beyond just the Venezuelan oil trade, linking it to terrorist financing activities in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, according to records from the U.S. Treasury Department.

Bloomberg reported on Sunday that the very large crude carrier was headed to Venezuela to load oil when it was boarded. This incident marks the third vessel interception in less than two weeks as the Trump administration steps up maritime enforcement against the Maduro government. An update from Bloomberg indicated that the U.S. continued to pursue the vessel.

This recent action follows the interceptions of the supertanker Centuries earlier on Saturday and the Skipper on December 10.

According to the shipping database Equasis, the Bella 1 was previously registered in Panama, but its current registry is listed as "unknown." The organization United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) includes the vessel on its "Ghost Armada" list, indicating it is flying a false flag (from Guyana), which makes it effectively stateless.

Unlike the Centuries, which did not appear on U.S. sanctions lists, the Bella 1 has a well-documented history of sanctions. Treasury documents from June 2024 reveal that Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises S.A., the registered owner of the vessel based in Panama, was designated for carrying sanctioned goods on behalf of the Hizballah-owned Concepto Screen SAL Off-Shore to Southeast Asia.

The designation stated that the company had “materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps–Qods Force. The Bella 1 was also identified as blocked property connected to Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises S.A.

This action was part of a broader effort that included sanctions against Hong Kong-based Lainey Shipping Limited, which owns the Panama-flagged Janet, in what the Treasury described as a coordinated approach to disrupt financial support to Hezbollah and the IRGC-QF. Both vessels were labeled as blocked under Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists and their support networks.

These measures are part of a larger Treasury enforcement campaign against the network of Sa'id al-Jamal, a financial facilitator for the Iranian-backed Houthis. Since late 2023, the Houthis have carried out drone and missile attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, claiming support for Palestinians in Gaza. This has forced vessels to change their routes around the Cape of Good Hope, disrupting global trade.

Brian E. Nelson, former Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, emphasized when announcing the sanctions that “the Houthis continue to leverage a vast support network for their illegal activities,” which includes hiding cargo origins and providing services to sanctioned vessels. He affirmed the U.S. commitment to disrupting their ability to attack commercial shipping.

Maritime tracking service TankerTrackers.com highlighted the significance of this interception, stating, “If true, then this OFAC-blacklisted VLCC [Bella 1] is quite a catch as she has served (mostly) Iran’s and (some) Venezuelan oil exports on numerous occasions.”

TankerTrackers.com stated that the Bella 1 transported over 20 million barrels of Iranian and Venezuelan crude oil to China between 2021 and 2025, both directly and through ship-to-ship transfers. “At the time of her arrest, she was empty of cargo while approaching Venezuela,” the company noted, adding that it was her first appearance near the country since 2023.

The seizure of the Skipper on December 10 involved a vessel with a complicated enforcement history dating back three years, linked to Iranian oil smuggling and evasion of sanctions. Initially designated as Adisa in November 2022, it was part of what the Treasury called “a large international oil smuggling operation” that funded the IRGC-QF and Hezbollah.

The targeting of the Bella 1 represents the third known U.S. interdiction near Venezuela in recent weeks, as the Trump administration boosts pressure on the Maduro government, which has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by Trump. The administration has accused it of drug trafficking and announced a “blockade” of sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.

Venezuelan Vice President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodríguez condemned the interdictions, labeling them “a serious act of piracy” by the U.S. government.

The White House has not yet responded to inquiries about the boarding of the Bella 1.