Two tiger sharks around the area, the great white named "Edithe" seems a bit far away
https://www.ocearch.org/tracker/
Breaking: U.S. Intercepts Third Tanker Near Venezuela
Bloomberg December 21, 2025
The purported boarding of the OFAC-blacklisted Bella 1 signals a widening U.S. maritime enforcement campaign aimed at cutting off Venezuela’s oil lifeline.
By Patricia Garip (Bloomberg) — Another oil tanker has been boarded by the US near Venezuela, according to people with knowledge of the matter, as President Donald Trump intensifies an oil blockade on Nicolás Maduro’s government.
The Bella 1 tanker, a Panamanian-flagged vessel sanctioned by the US, was en route to Venezuela to load, one of the people said, asking not to be identified. The interdiction follows the boarding of the Centuries supertanker early Saturday and the Skipper on Dec. 10.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump has been stepping up pressure on Maduro by trying to choke off the regime’s main source of revenue. If Venezuela can’t export its oil, its storage tanks will fill up with stranded supply and state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, will have to start closing oil wells, industry experts say.
Trump also designated the Maduro government as a foreign terrorist organization, accusing it of involvement in drug trafficking.
Saturday’s boarding was notable because the ship hadn’t appeared on the public US sanctions list. The Centuries tanker was flying a Panamanian flag, according to people familiar with the matter, while a Chinese company holds title to the oil.
The tanker contained sanctioned PDVSA oil, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a post on X.
Venezuelan Vice President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez condemned “the theft and kidnapping” of the tanker, calling the move “a serious act of piracy” by the US government.
https://gcaptain.com/u-s-intercepts-tanker-bella-1-near-venezuela/
>>24010784 (me)
Intercepted Tanker ‘Bella 1’ Has a Sanctions Past Linked to Terror Financing
Mike Schuler December 21, 2025
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.
https://gcaptain.com/latest-intercepted-tanker-bella-1-linked-to-terror-financing-and-sanctioned-oil/
Your birdmen are doing better at navigation
Here's an Oil Products tanker named SPIRIT that broadcasts she left Tuxpan, Mexico headed for Aruba but my she's quite northeast of there and not headed towards Aruba
maybe the USN could take some interest?
GAS LOTUS claims to have departed Beaumont Texas with destination of Port Klang, Malaysia
Must be taking the long way around Africa since she's headed easterly and quite far from the Panama Canal
France To Build New Aircraft Carrier
By Florence Loeve and Tassilo Hummel Reuters December 21, 2025
PARIS, Dec 21 (Reuters) – President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Sunday plans to build a new, larger and more modern aircraft carrier to replace the aging Charles de Gaulle carrier and strengthen France’s maritime power.
The program, known as “Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération” (PANG), is predicted to cost around 10.25 billion euros ($12 billion).
The French government said the new vessel would be operational by 2038, when the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier is expected to retire. Work on nuclear propulsion components began last year, and the final order must be placed under the 2025 budget.
The PANG, which would be the largest warship ever built in Europe, is central to France’s nuclear deterrent and Europe’s drive for greater defense autonomy amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump’s reluctance to support the continent’s security.
MACRON SPEAKING TO TROOPS
Macron was speaking to troops based at a French military base in Abu Dhabi located near the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint for global oil flows.
“The decision to launch this vast program was taken this week,” Macron said, adding that the project would boost France’s industrial base, in particular small and medium-sized businesses.
Army Minister Catherine Vautrin said on X the carrier would enter operation in 2038 to replace the Charles de Gaulle, which entered service in 2001 after 15 years of planning and construction.
Some French lawmakers from the center and the moderate left have recently suggested that the project to build a new aircraft carrier be postponed due to France’s strained state finances.
EUROPEAN CARRIER CAPABILITIES
France, the EU’s only nuclear power, is among the few European nations owning an aircraft carrier alongside Britain, Italy and Spain.
European capabilities remain limited compared with the United States’ fleet of 11 carriers and China’s three.
“The Chinese have just developed electromagnetic catapults to launch aircraft,” armed forces chief Fabien Mandon told the Senate in October, adding that France will buy such systems from the United States, as domestic production is not “compatible with our schedule and cost control.”
($1 = 0.8541 euros)
Navy Turns to Coast Guard Cutter Design for New Frigate Class
Mike Schuler December 19, 2025
The U.S. Navy announced Friday a strategic shift in its surface combatant procurement, unveiling plans for a new frigate class based on Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Legend-Class National Security Cutter design following the cancellation of four Constellation-class vessels.
Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan confirmed the service will acquire the FF(X) frigate using what he described as an accelerated approach designed to deliver combat power faster than traditional shipbuilding programs.
“To deliver at speed and scale, I’ve directed the acquisition of a new frigate class based on HII’s Legend-Class National Security Cutter design: a proven, American-built ship that has been protecting U.S. interests at home and abroad,” Phelan said in the announcement. “President Trump and the Secretary of War have signed off on this as part of the Golden Fleet. Our goal is clear: launch the first hull in the water in 2028.”
The decision comes as the Navy grapples with mounting delays in the Constellation-class program. On November 25, the service announced it would terminate four ships from the troubled program before construction begins, while allowing the first two vessels to proceed at Fincantieri Marinette Marine’s Wisconsin shipyard.
The lead Constellation-class ship, originally scheduled for delivery in April 2026, is now expected three years later in April 2029—a delay that has raised concerns about fleet modernization timelines.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle emphasized the advantages of leveraging an existing design rather than developing a new platform from scratch.
“Like the Medium Landing Ship, leveraging a complete design and production baseline approach will allow the Navy and shipbuilders to reduce costs, schedule and technical risk,” Caudle said. “We know this Frigate design works, we know it operates with the Fleet, and most importantly, we know how to build it now.”
The FF(X) will serve as a smaller, more agile surface combatant designed to complement larger multi-mission warships. While its primary mission will focus on surface warfare, the vessel’s modular payload capacity and ability to command unmanned systems will enable it to execute a broad spectrum of operations.
The Navy plans to use a lead yard and competitive follow-on strategy for multi-yard construction to expand production capacity across the maritime industrial base. Shipyards will be evaluated on a single metric: delivering combat power to the fleet as quickly as possible.
HII said its Ingalls Shipbuilding yard will serve as the Navy’s prime designer and builder for the program. The ships will be built on Ingalls’ existing production lines alongside destroyers and amphibious vessels, using the same construction sequence employed for the Coast Guard’s NSC program. “Speed matters, and the NSC ship design is stable and producible and will lead to predictable schedules,” said HII President and CEO Chris Kastner, adding that the company is confident Ingalls can execute the program while continuing to expand the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.
The Constellation program’s troubles mirror challenges identified by the Government Accountability Office across multiple naval shipbuilding efforts. A May 2024 GAO report noted the Navy’s decision to begin construction before completing ship design was “inconsistent with leading ship design practices” and warned that design delays had created “mounting construction delays.”
Following the Constellation cancellation, Fincantieri Marine Group stated it expects to receive new orders for other vessel classes, including amphibious, icebreaking, and special missions vessels. The company emphasized that the agreement with the Navy guarantees continuity and workload visibility for its workforce of approximately 3,750 skilled workers across four U.S. shipyards.
The FF(X) announcement represents the latest in a series of federal shipbuilding program alterations under the Trump administration, which has also cancelled the Coast Guard’s planned eleventh Legend-class National Security Cutter at Huntington Ingalls and partially shut down the troubled Offshore Patrol Cutter program at Eastern Shipbuilding. The most recent vessel in the Legend-class, USCGC Calhoun (WMSL-759), entered service in April 2024.
These decisions come as U.S. naval and Coast Guard leaders warn that the nation’s shipyards and industrial base lag significantly behind China’s maritime production capacity.
https://gcaptain.com/navy-turns-to-proven-cutter-design-for-new-frigate-class/