By Idrees Ali, Jonathan Saul, and Trevor Hunnicutt
WASHINGTON/LONDON, Dec 23 (Reuters) – The U.S. Coast Guard is waiting for extra forces to arrive before they might try to board and take control of an oil tanker linked to Venezuela. This tanker has been under pursuit since Sunday, according to a U.S. official and a source familiar with the situation.
The tanker in question, identified by maritime groups as the Bella 1, has not allowed the Coast Guard to board. Because of this, the task may fall to a specialized team known as a Maritime Security Response Team. These teams are qualified to board vessels in such situations, even using helicopters for rappelling.
This pursuit over several days highlights the challenges the Trump administration faces in trying to seize sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela while the Coast Guard has limited resources to carry out these operations.
Unlike the U.S. Navy, the Coast Guard is authorized to conduct law enforcement actions, which includes boarding and taking control of ships that are subject to U.S. sanctions.
Earlier this month, Trump ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. This move is part of Washington’s effort to increase pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
In recent weeks, the Coast Guard has seized two oil tankers near Venezuela. After the first seizure on December 10, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi shared a video showing helicopters approaching a vessel while armed individuals in camouflage rappelled onto it.
A Saturday post on social media from the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Coast Guard, hinted that Coast Guard officers aboard the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier were preparing to depart and seize the Centuries tanker, which was the second ship boarded by the U.S.
A U.S. official, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that the Coast Guard personnel on the Ford were from a Maritime Security Response Team but were too far away from the Bella 1 to execute a boarding operation at that time.
“There are only a few teams trained for these types of boardings,” said Corey Ranslem, chief executive of maritime security group Dryad Global, who previously worked with the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond immediately to a request for comment, and it remains unclear why the Coast Guard has not yet seized the vessel.
The administration might ultimately decide not to board and seize the ship.
The White House indicated that the U.S. is still in “active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion.”
LIMITED RESOURCES
The U.S. Coast Guard is part of the armed forces but operates under the Department of Homeland Security.
The U.S. has gathered a significant military presence in the Caribbean, including an aircraft carrier, fighter jets, and other warships. Recently, Ospreys and additional MC-130J Commando II aircraft were deployed to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, according to a separate source.
However, the Coast Guard has significantly fewer resources available.
The service has long stated that it does not have enough resources to effectively carry out its expanding missions, which include search and rescue operations as well as drug seizures.
In November, the Coast Guard reported the seizure of approximately 49,000 pounds of drugs valued at over $362 million in the eastern Pacific.
“The Coast Guard is in a serious readiness crisis that has been developing for decades,” Admiral Kevin Lunday, the Coast Guard's commander, told lawmakers in June.
For the fiscal year ending September 2026, the Coast Guard has requested $14.6 billion in funding and will receive an additional $25 billion from recent spending and tax legislation known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
“Our Coast Guard is less ready than at any time in the past 80 years since the end of World War II. The decline in readiness we are facing is not sustainable,” Lunday emphasized earlier this year.