Blacklisted Tanker ‘Bella 1’ Has a Sanctions Past Linked to Terror Financing

The U.S.-blacklisted tanker Bella 1, reportedly intercepted by U.S. forces near Venezuela this weekend, carries a sanctions history that stretches far beyond Venezuelan oil trade into a web of terrorist financing operations spanning Southeast Asia and the Middle East, according to U.S. Treasury Department records.

Bloomberg reported Sunday that the very large crude carrier was en route to Venezuela to load when it was boarded, marking the third vessel interdiction in less than two weeks as the Trump administration escalates maritime enforcement against the Maduro government. The move follows the interdictions of the Centuries supertanker earlier Saturday and the Skipper on December 10.

Shipping database Equasis shows the vessel was previously flagged in Panama, but its current registration is listed as “unknown.” 

Unlike the Centuries, which had not appeared on public U.S. sanctions lists, the Bella 1 has a well-documented sanctions record. Treasury documents from June 2024 show that Panama-based Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises S.A., the vessel’s registered owner, was designated under for carrying sanctioned cargo on behalf of Hizballah-owned Concepto Screen SAL Off-Shore to Southeast Asia.

The designation cited the company for having “materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps–Qods Force. The Bella 1 was simultaneously identified as blocked property in which Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises S.A. has an interest.

The action came alongside sanctions against Hong Kong-based Lainey Shipping Limited, owner of the Panama-flagged Janet, in what Treasury described as a coordinated effort to disrupt financing streams to both Hezbollah and the IRGC-QF. Both vessels were identified as blocked property under Executive Order 13224, the primary legal framework targeting terrorists and their support networks.

That action formed part of a broader Treasury enforcement sweep targeting the network of Houthi financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal. Since late 2023, the Iranian-backed Houthis have targeted Red Sea shipping with drones and missiles, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The attacks disrupted global trade by forcing vessels to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope.

“The Houthis continue to leverage an expansive support network to facilitate their illicit activities, including hiding the origin of cargo, forging shipping documents, and providing services to sanctioned vessels,” said Brian E. Nelson, then Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, when the sanctions were announced. He added that the U.S. government remained “committed to disrupting and degrading the Houthis’ ability to engage in attacks against commercial shipping and naval vessels, as well as targeting those who seek to facilitate these activities.”

Maritime tracking service TankerTrackers.com underscored the significance of the interdiction, writing: “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.”

The Skipper seizure on December 10 involved a vessel with a complex three-year enforcement history spanning Iranian oil smuggling networks and sanctions evasion. That tanker, originally designated as Adisa in November 2022, was part of what Treasury described as “a sprawling international oil smuggling operation that funneled revenue to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force and Hezbollah.”

The Bella 1 boarding represents the third known U.S. interdiction near Venezuela in recent weeks, as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on the Maduro government by targeting its primary revenue source. Trump has also designated the Maduro government as a foreign terrorist organization, accusing it of involvement in drug trafficking, and last week announced a “blockade” of sanctioned tankers sailing to and from Venezuela.

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

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Bella 1 boarding.

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