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

By Idrees Ali, Jonathan Saul and Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON/LONDON, Dec 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard is waiting for additional forces to arrive before potentially attempting to board and seize a Venezuela-linked oil tanker it has been pursuing since Sunday,

President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. is still actively pursuing an oil tanker linked to Venezuela, but that he's confident the vessel will be seized.

Venezuela has accused the United States of the "greatest extortion" at an emergency session of the UN Security Council in New York. Washington's seizure of two Venezuelan oil tankers was "worse than piracy," the Venezuelan ambassador to the UN said.

Venezuela's parliament on Tuesday approved a measure that would criminalize a broad range of activities that can hinder navigation and commerce in the South American country, such as the seizure of oil tankers.

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 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 campaign to topple President Nicolás Maduro is stranding Venezuelans around the world, compounding the misery of a beleaguered population.

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.

They’re also taking advantage of U.S. threats to crack down on internal dissent, local and international monitors say. The government of President Nicolás Maduro “has used U.S. pressure as an excuse to deploy the military,