The United States has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic following a dramatic weekslong chase on the high seas.
The operation to seize the sanctioned vessel, which changed its name from the Bella 1 to the Marinera after fleeing the American blockade of Venezuela last month, was carried out early Wednesday. The U.S. also announced the seizure of another sanctioned tanker, the M/T Sophia, which it said was “conducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea.”
The Kremlin, a strong supporter of deposed President Nicolás Maduro, accused the U.S. of violating maritime law by seizing the Marinera.
The ship’s efforts to evade authorities were followed in real time by a fleet of observers and analysts, who also tracked as the U.S. moved military assets to the United Kingdom in recent days.
The saga emerged as a new flashpoint between Washington and Moscow that threatened to undermine the Trump administration’s blockade of the Latin American country in the wake of its stunning attack and capture of Maduro.
The U.S. European Command confirmed the seizure of the tanker for violating U.S. sanctions. “The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro,” it said in a post on X.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared the post, adding: “The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT — anywhere in the world.”
The U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military activities in Latin America and the Caribbean, announced on X that the U.S. had also apprehended M/T Sophia, “a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker” that it said was “operating in international waters and conducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the operations “two safe, effective boardings within hours of each other.” Noem said that the Bella 1 had been trying to evade the Coast Guard for weeks, “even changing its flag and painting a new name on the hull while being pursued, in a desperate and failed attempt to escape justice.” The “heroic” crew of USCGC Munro, she added, pursued the vessel “across the high seas and through treacherous storms.”
The U.S. seized two oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela last month as part of its blockade of sanctioned oil shipments to and from the country. The Marinera was one of a number of sanctioned oil tankers operating near Venezuelathat have recently changed their flags to Russia.
Trump said Tuesday that Venezuela would hand over 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S., as its vast reserves emerged as a key pillar of his plans — and a point of tension with Russia and China.
NBC News reported last month that the Marinera, then known as the Bella 1, had been on the U.S. sanctions list since June 2024.
It was pursued by the U.S. Coast Guard off Venezuela last month, and as of Jan. 5 it was off the west coast of Scotland in the North Atlantic, according to data from the ship-tracking website MarineTraffic.
Russia’s Transport Ministry said in a statement following the tanker’s capture that the Marinera had been granted temporary authorization to sail under the Russian flag in late December, and that it had lost all communication with the ship after U.S. forces boarded it on Wednesday.
“The high seas are governed by the principle of freedom of navigation, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered under the jurisdiction of other states,” it said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry had said Tuesday that it was “monitoring with concern the anomalous situation surrounding” the tanker. The vessel was receiving “heightened attention from U.S. and NATO military forces that is clearly disproportionate to its peaceful status,” it said.
Russian propaganda TV channel RT shared what it said was exclusive footage from aboard the tanker Tuesday night. It did not say where or when the footage was shot.
“Visibility is poor due to fog, and a U.S. Coast Guard ship is visible in the distance,” the caption accompanying the video said, adding that American reconnaissance aircraft were monitoring the vessel.
Flight tracking data shows that 13 Air Force C-17A Globemaster III, a large military transport aircraft, flew from U.S. Air Force bases to the U.K. between Saturday and Monday.
As the news broke of the tanker’s seizure, flight records showed multiple U.S. military aircraft near the vessel’s last known location.
Two U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft, typically used for maritime patrols, and a KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling tanker were recorded flying off the west and north coasts of Scotland. Two C-130J Hercules tactical transport aircraft and three U-28A Draco special operations aircraft were also recorded flying in the area.
The U.K. military has declined to comment on whether it’s tracking the tanker or any nearby Russian naval assets, or whether it has discussed with the U.S. any operation to seize the tanker.
But the Marinera may not be the only tanker threatening to undermine the U.S. blockade.
At least three other sanctioned oil tankers that were operating near Venezuela in recent weeks have changed their flags to Russia, according to the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping. The ships — the Malak, now renamed the Sintez; the Dianchi, now the Expander; and the Veronica, now the Galileo — had previously been sailing under the flags of Comoros and Guyana, according to MarineTraffic.
By NBC News
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