Oil Tankers

US forces tried to board a third oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela as the Trump administration continues to escalate its declared blockade of the country, an action traditionally considered an act of war under international law. Sources told Bloomberg that the US was still in pursuit of the Bella 1 tanker, which was en route to Venezuela to be loaded with oil before it was boarded by US forces. The outlet initially reported that US forces had boarded the tanker. US officials told The New York Times that the Bella 1 refused to be boarded by the US and has fled to the northeast, into the Atlantic Ocean.