US officials have confirmed the active pursuit of a third Venezuelan oil tanker since sanctions were imposed by Washington. The US Coast Guard is chasing a sanctioned 'dark fleet' vessel that is evading sanctions by flying a false flag, a US official told AFP. On December 16, President Donald Trump announced a blockade on all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela. Trump posted on Truth Social that the blockade targets vessels involved in the theft of alleged stolen US assets. To enforce the blockade, a large US naval fleet was sent into the Caribbean, officially as an anti-drug mission but seen by Caracas as pressure on President Nicolás Maduro's government. Kristi Noem, US Homeland Security Secretary, shared a video of US forces rappelling from a helicopter onto the deck of the second tanker seized within two weeks. She said, "In a pre-dawn action early this morning on Dec. 20, the US Coast Guard with the support of the Department of War apprehended an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela." The first interception was on December 10 when US agents seized the oil tanker Skipper. The tanker was carrying Venezuelan crude, sailing under a false flag, and under US sanctions for previous shipments of Iranian oil. If the latest pursuit succeeds, it will be the third such interception within two weeks of the sanctions, Reuters reports.