Recent reports say the U.S. Coast Guard is actively pursuing a third vessel in international waters near Venezuela as regional tensions escalate. Meanwhile, social media users have widely shared three misleading photos claiming to show the U.S. Navy seizing oil tankers off the Venezuelan coast.
U.S. Intercepts Oil Tankers off Venezuelan Coast Amid Heightened Tensions
The U.S. Coast Guard is actively pursuing a vessel in international waters near Venezuela. This move marks the latest move in Washington’s pressure campaign against the government of President Nicolás Maduro.
U.S. authorities have already seized two oil tankers this month, including one on Saturday. A U.S. official told CBS News that Sunday’s pursuit involves a “sanctioned dark fleet vessel” allegedly linked to Venezuela’s efforts to evade international sanctions. The official said the ship is sailing under a false flag and is subject to a judicial seizure order.
The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of using oil revenues to finance drug-related crime, while Venezuela has condemned the tanker seizures as acts of “piracy.”
According to The New York Times, the Coast Guard approached an oil tanker late Saturday, which U.S. officials said was not flying a national flag. British maritime risk firm Vanguard identified the vessel as the “Bella 1,” a very large crude carrier reportedly heading to Venezuela to load oil.
The “Bella 1” is the third oil tanker targeted by U.S. authorities in waters off Venezuela this month. On December 10, the Coast Guard seized the tanker Skipper, which U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said transported sanctioned Venezuelan oil to Iran.
On Saturday, Coast Guard personnel also boarded a tanker named “Centuries.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the vessel was operating as part of Venezuela’s “shadow fleet” to traffic stolen oil and finance what she described as the “narco-terrorist Maduro regime.”
Misleading Photos Circulate Online Allegedly Showing U.S. Seizure of Oil Tankers
Social media users have seized on reports of rising tensions between the United States and Venezuela to spread misinformation, most recently about the seizure of oil tankers.
Users on X circulated a photo claiming to show the U.S. Navy boarding a Venezuelan tanker in international waters. An X user shared the photo with the caption, “BREAKING: The U.S. Navy has seized a second Venezuelan oil tanker illegally in international waters, according to reports.”
Misbar’s team investigated the viral photo and found it to be unrelated to the recent unrest. The photo dates back to October 2024, when the U.S. Pacific Fleet published it to document a training exercise.
The photo shows U.S. Naval Special Warfare operators conducting a visit, board, search, and seizure drill alongside Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and Indian Marine Commando Force personnel in Visakhapatnam, India, during Exercise Malabar 2024.
Other X accounts known for spreading misinformation about global conflicts also circulated another photo, claiming it features U.S. forces taking control of a third vessel off the coast of Venezuela.
Trolls shared the photo with the caption, “BREAKING The US military has just seized a third oil tanker near Venezuela So far, millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil have been illegally seized by the US.”
Misbar's investigative team conducted a reverse image search and found the photo predates the current events. The photo dates back to February 2019, when Elite U.K. Forces published it as part of a series documenting maritime security drills conducted by the U.S. and British navies.
In addition, social media users circulated another similar photo, purporting to depict U.S. Navy forces boarding and seizing a Venezuelan vessel.
An X user shared the photo with the caption, “BREAKING: US has seized another oil tanker near Venezuela, the second within 24 hours and the third in just a few days.”
Misbar's team found the photo making the rounds to be outdated and unrelated to recent events.
The uncropped version of the photo was uploaded to Alamy and shows Marines with the Maritime Raid Force, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, climbing a rapid entering and boarding system onto the USCGC Sequoia (WLB-215) during a visit, board, search, and seizure training exercise at Apra Harbor, Guam, on January 13, 2017.
Trump Does Not Rule Out War With Venezuela
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he is not ruling out the possibility of war with Venezuela.
“I don’t rule it out, no,” Trump told NBC News in a phone interview.
Trump recently ordered what he described as a “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.
The administration’s operations have already included 28 boat strikes that reportedly killed more than 100 people.
When asked whether such actions could lead to war, Trump initially said, “I don’t discuss it,” but later acknowledged that conflict remains a possibility. He added that the United States plans to carry out additional tanker seizures.
Asked about the timing, Trump said it would depend on circumstances. “If they’re foolish enough to be sailing along, they’ll be sailing along back into one of our harbors,” he said.
Trump also declined to clarify whether removing Maduro from power is his ultimate objective. “He knows exactly what I want,” Trump said. “He knows better than anybody.”
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