The U.S. is 'in active pursuit' of an oil tanker after President Donald Trump announced a total blockade of Venezuela's oil exports.

The comment was made during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, which Venezuela called over the U.S.' recent seizures of Venezuelan oil tankers.

The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela, officials told Reuters, in what would be the third such operation in less than two weeks if successful.

A Venezuela-bound vessel fled after rebuffing an attempt by the Coast Guard to seize it, the latest twist in the escalating U.S. pressure campaign against the Maduro government.

Personnel from the United States boarded and seized a vessel off the coast of Venezuela on Saturday, according to an official familiar with the matter, as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Caracas.

Tanker loading in Venezuela dwindled on Monday, following U.S. action against two more ships and as state-run energy company PDVSA struggles to recover from a cyberattack.

The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. Word of the pursuit comes as the Trump administration appears to be intensifying its targeting of such vessels connected to the Venezuelan government.

On Saturday, the US Coast Guard boarded Centuries, a ship owned by a Hong Kong-based entity, the first non-sanctioned vessel to be targeted. A day later, it was chasing the Bella 1, en route to Venezuela to pick up crude.

Rep. Adam Smith, the Democratic leader of the Armed Services Committee, says Trump's oil blockade is about driving Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro out of power more than anything.

U.S. President Donald Trump's announced blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan oil could lead to shortages of food, fuel, and other basic goods in the Latin American nation.

Venezuela's UN ambassador denounces US military strikes, naval blockade at a meeting of the UN Security Council.