The US is in “active pursuit” of a third oil tanker near Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea, officials have said.

It comes amid escalation from the Trump administration against Nicolas Maduro’s government, and as the US builds up a naval military presence in the region, including the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier and its support group.

The status of the attempted interception is unclear, according to Sky’s US partner network NBC News, but reports first emerged at around 2.30pm in the UK that the operation was under way.

As it happened: US in ‘active pursuit’ of third vessel

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What is behind interceptions of tankers carrying Venezuelan oil?

Two officials told NBC News the US Coast Guard was in “active pursuit” of the vessel, which is sanctioned by the US.

One told the outlet it was “a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion”.

“It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order,” they said, adding that dark fleet vessels usually do not operate exclusively for one country.

It is understood the vessel is sailing under the name Bella 1, according to British maritime risk management group Vanguard, according to NBC News and Bloomberg.

Sky News has seen Bella 1 is sanctioned by the US government, according to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) website, and has been included on the list since June 2024.

Read more: The real reason for Donald Trump’s Venezuela exploits

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Dramatic footage of US forces seizing oil tanker on Saturday

One US official told NBC the vessel was sanctioned under the counterterrorism authority for its involvement in the network of Houthi financial facilitator Sa’id al Jamal.

Another US official separately told the New York Times the ship did not submit to being boarded and continued onward.

If successful, it would mark the third such interception near Venezuela in the past two weeks, with a tanker being seized on Saturday and near the start of the month.

Explained: The US-Venezuela crisis

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From 10 December: Moment US seizes oil tanker off Venezuela

Trump’s ‘blockade’ of tankers

Earlier this week, the US president declared he had ordered the “blockade” of oil tankers into and out of the South American country.

He said the US military would remain in place until Venezuela returns “all of the oil, land, and other assets that they previously stole from us”.

In the social media post following months of escalating tensions in the Caribbean, Donald Trump said Venezuela was surrounded by the “largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America”.

Venezuela’s government has accused Mr Trump of “violating international law, free trade, and the principle of free navigation” with “a reckless and grave threat” against the South American country.

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi later accused the US of “bullying” Venezuela, and said on Wednesday: “China believes the international community understands and supports Venezuela’s position in defending its legitimate rights and interests.”

Washington has also announced sanctions on numerous oil tankers, shipping companies and family members of Mr Maduro.

President Trump has been ramping up pressure on the Maduro regime, accusing it of involvement in the drugs trade.

As part of his efforts, he has also authorised deadly strikes against vessels he claims are trafficking drugs in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.

President Maduro claims Mr Trump is trying to overthrow him with a view to seizing Venezuela’s oil reserves.

Pictures of Donald Trump were included among at least 16 documents that disappeared from the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The Democrats from the House Oversight Committee drew attention to the apparent removal of an image showing two printed pictures of Mr Trump in a desk draw.

One picture had Mr Trump standing surrounded by women in bathing suits, while the second appears to be an already known picture – partly obscured – of him, his wife Melania, Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.

After the Democrats flagged the missing image on Saturday, Sky News went back to the files online and confirmed that it did appear to be missing, despite the fact they downloaded it when the files were initially released on Friday.

The other photos removed from the trove of documents were almost all nude paintings of women in Epstein’s home.

In a post on X on Sunday, the DOJ said the image including pictures of Mr Trump has since been reposted on to the Epstein Files page.

Sky News has seen that file number 468 is once again listed online. Mr Trump is still visible in the latest version of the image, and there is no immediate difference from the original upload.

The DOJ said that “the Southern District of New York flagged an image of President Trump for potential further action to protect victims”.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review,” the department added.

“After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction.”

Mr Trump has not commented on the release of the files and has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein’s case.

Questions over heavy redactions

Thousands of documents relating to the dead paedophile financier were made public by the DOJ on Friday – hours before a legal deadline following the passing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Many of the pages were either partially or fully redacted, which the DOJ says is to protect the more than 1,200 victims and their families identified in them.

Some of Epstein’s victims, legal experts and members of the public have questioned whether this is the sole reason for the redactions, while the Oversight Democrats have claimed: “This is a White House cover-up.”

Ashley Rubright, who was abused for several years after meeting Epstein in Palm Beach when she was 15, told Sky News: “Seeing […] completely redacted pages, there’s no way that that’s just to protect the victims’ identities, and there better be a good reason. I just don’t know if we’ll ever know what that is.”

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Epstein ‘was a monster’: Survivors speak to Sky News

Gloria Allred, a lawyer who has represented some of Epstein’s victims, says she has been told that despite the heavy redactions, some compromising pictures of survivors and their names were left in the files released on Friday.

“We have had to notify the Department of Justice about names that should have been redacted that weren’t redacted,” she told Sky News.

“So this is further trauma to survivors, and apparently also some of the images of some of the survivors appear not to have been redacted, and they are nude or not completely dressed.

“This is a major concern because the law clearly indicates, and the judges have indicated, that the names and any identifying information of the survivors must be redacted.”

Read more:
Epstein victims react to partial release of files
Links between Epstein and the UK revealed in new files

In a letter to the judges overseeing the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases, US attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton acknowledged that a review “of this size and scope is vulnerable to machine error [or] instances of human error”.

He also said the DOJ had opted to redact the faces of women in photographs with Epstein “even where not all the women are known to be victims,” as it was not viewed as practical for the DOJ to identify every person in all the photos.

The methodology has led to some confusion and misled speculation online.

Many celebrities and public figures appear with Epstein in the photos published by the DOJ, often included without context.

There is no suggestion that these pictures imply anyone has done anything wrong, and many of those featured in them have denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

Through its release, the Trump administration has claimed to be the most transparent in history, despite the fact Congress forced their hand by voting to make the files public by 19 December.

But some have been held back, with Todd Blanche, deputy attorney general and a former personal lawyer for Donald Trump, saying more would follow in the coming weeks.

Many Democrats and some Republicans have criticised the partial release as failing to “comply with law,” as have lawyers including Ms Allred.

“So clearly, the law has been violated. And it’s the Department of Justice letting down the survivors once again,” she said.

She labelled the incomplete release of the files a “distraction”, adding: “This is not over, and it won’t be over until we get the truth and transparency for the survivors.”

For serious fleet buyers, safety isn’t a “nice-to-have,” it’s an absolute must – and Kia’s new PV5 electric van meets that need with a positively stellar, five-star safety rating on the tough European NCAP safety test.

The new “do-it-all” Kia PV5 showed strong performance across a number of key safety categories, including Occupant Protection, Safety Assist/Crash Avoidance, and Post-Crash Safety. The PV5’s robust suite of standard ADAS technologies that includes AEB, Lane Support System, and Speed Assistance System also helped the new electric work van to deliver top marks in the NCAP’s “real world” test scenarios.

“The PV5 opens a new chapter in practical, electrified mobility, offering generous space and modular versatility for everyday use,” explains Sangdae Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of the (relatively) new PBV Business Division at Kia. “Achieving the top Euro NCAP five-star rating is clear validation of its safety performance and will serve as strong momentum as Kia expands its PBV lineup across Europe.”

The Euro NCAP tests highlighted the strong performance of a number of the PV5’s ADAS features, specifically calling out the following:

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• Demonstrated strong responsiveness in vehicle-to-vehicle scenarios
• Provides additional protection for pedestrians behind the vehicle
• Avoided collisions in most pedestrian and cyclist test cases

The Kia PV5 slots into familiar territory for US buyers, landing roughly in the same size class as the Ford Transit Connect or Ram ProMaster City, with ~180 cubic feet of interior cargo space available, which is plenty to make it attractive for last-mile delivery and trade work in tight urban markets.

Globally, the PV5 is offered with a number of battery options, including a smaller 43.3 kWh Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LFP) pack, as well as larger Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese (NCM) packs at 51.5 kWh and 71.2 kWh. The longest-range versions are good for about 250 miles of estimated range – more than enough for Kia to make a case for it as a practical, city-focused alternative to much larger (and pricier) electric vans.

Larger vans, by the way, that may not have that 5 star Euro NCAP rating.

Kia PV5

SOURCE | IMAGES: Kia; photo by Scooter Doll.

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