US Targets Venezuela-Linked Tankers: VLCCs Left “Virtually Useless”
The United States has seized two more tankers, Centuries and Bella 1, as part of its efforts to enforce sanctions against Venezuela. The seizures have left many Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) in the shadow fleet virtually useless, according to Ralph Leszczynski, head of research at Banchero Costa.
The VLCCs Centuries and Bella 1 are the latest targets of US enforcement, following the seizure of Skipper and President Donald Trump’s order for a “complete blockade” of tankers calling at Venezuela. If the situation escalates and Venezuelan trades are blocked – either partially or completely – it would primarily affect the shadow fleet and could be positive for mainstream tanker shipping.
“At least part of the demand from Chinese importers would be redirected to non-sanctioned exporters such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq,” Leszczynski explained. Most of the shadow fleet servicing Venezuelan crude exports cannot be redeployed to Russian trades, as Venezuelan exports are predominantly carried on VLCCs. By contrast, Russian crude exports are largely limited to Suezmaxes and Aframaxes due to draft restrictions.
Seizure of VLCC Centuries
On 20 December, the US seized the 2001-built VLCC Centuries, sailing under the Panamanian flag. Equasis lists the vessel as owned by a Hong Kong-based company. The tanker was reportedly intercepted east of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea. Global real-time data and analytics provider Kpler said that Centuries was carrying Venezuelan crude, having loaded at the Jose Oil Terminal just days before the seizure.
The US seized 2001-built VLCC Centuries, sailing under the Panamanian flag, on 20 December. The tanker was reportedly intercepted east of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea.
TankerTrackers.com: Centuries’ Seventh Export
TankerTrackers.com said that the latest loading marked the vessel’s seventh export of Venezuelan oil – sometimes crude, sometimes fuel oil – since 2020. The same source added that on 18 December the tanker was sighted east of Venezuela, accompanied by three Venezuelan navy vessels to the edge of the country’s exclusive economic zone.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Centuries was “operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet to traffic stolen oil and fund the narcoterrorist Maduro regime.”
US Pursues VLCC Bella 1
In a separate incident, media cited US Coast Guard officials as saying they were in “active pursuit” of a vessel in international waters near Venezuela as of 21 December. The vessel was identified as 2002-built VLCC Bella 1, listed under an unknown flag and operated by an Istanbul-based shipping company.
Kpler said that the tanker was in ballast at the time and was most likely heading toward Venezuela. AIS data showed the vessel signaling Curaçao as its destination, with its last recorded position offshore Antigua and Barbuda four days earlier. AIS tracks also indicate that Bella 1 reversed course on 15 December – likely as a precaution following the seizure of Skipper – before turning again on 16 December and resuming its voyage toward Venezuela, according to Kpler data.
Bella 1 was sanctioned by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in June 2024 for its involvement in Iranian oil transportation. According to TankerTrackers.com, between October 2021 and September 2025 the vessel directly exported 7.3M barrels of Iranian crude and 3.7M barrels of Venezuelan crude.
The US pursuit of Bella 1 highlights a shift in enforcement, with greater focus on how vessels operate and the nature of their cargo, rather than solely on whether they are formally sanctioned, said Kpler senior risk and compliance analyst Dimitris Ampatzidis.
Original Article: Shadow fleet VLCCs left ‘virtually useless’ as US again targets Venezuela-linked tankers — Rivieramm