The United States has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela after more than two weeks of pursuit in the North Atlantic, in a major escalation of Washington’s enforcement of sanctions on Venezuelan oil shipments.
Gatekeepers News reports that the vessel, formerly called Bella-1 and now renamed Marinera, was taken over under a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court for violating American sanctions, the US European Command said in a social media post. It was intercepted in international waters after earlier attempts to board it in the Caribbean were rebuffed by the crew.
US officials say the tanker belonged to what is known as a shadow fleet of ships accused of moving sanctioned oil for Venezuela, Russia, and other states. The vessel reportedly painted a Russian flag and changed its registration in an apparent bid to evade capture.
The operation was carried out by the US Coast Guard along with the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Defence. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in full effect anywhere in the world.
Russia has condemned the seizure as illegal and a violation of international maritime law, demanding the safe return of the crew and arguing that force should not be used against a vessel registered under its flag. Moscow’s Transport Ministry cited the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in its protest.
The tanker had been under US sanctions since 2024 on allegations of smuggling oil for Iran-linked entities and bypassing sanctions. Its capture comes amid broader tensions as the US tightens its blockade on Venezuela’s oil sector and cracks down on illicit maritime networks.
This action follows other recent seizures of tankers suspected of similar sanctions violations, marking a notable increase in US naval enforcement linked to Venezuelan oil exports.
