Thursday | 8th January 2026
The United States seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker that had been under close surveillance for more than two weeks and was being shadowed by a Russian submarine, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, marking a rare and highly sensitive maritime enforcement action amid escalating tensions over Venezuelan oil exports.
The tanker, now known as the Marinera and previously registered as the Bella-1, was intercepted in the Atlantic Ocean near Iceland after evading U.S. authorities across multiple regions. The operation appears to be the first known instance in recent memory in which the U.S. military has seized a vessel sailing under a Russian flag, underscoring the increasingly aggressive posture Washington has adopted to enforce sanctions against Venezuela and its oil trade.
According to U.S. officials, the Marinera had earlier slipped through a U.S.-led maritime blockade targeting sanctioned tankers in the Caribbean and had repeatedly refused U.S. Coast Guard attempts to board and inspect it. After those encounters, the vessel re-registered under the Russian flag and changed its name, a tactic commonly used by ships operating in sanctions evasion networks.
The seizure on Wednesday was first reported by Reuters. In a statement posted on X, U.S. European Command confirmed that the Trump administration had ordered the vessel seized for violating U.S. sanctions related to Venezuelan oil exports.
“The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT — anywhere in the world,” U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in response, signaling that Washington considers its enforcement authority global rather than regional.
Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the operation was conducted jointly by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. military. U.S. special forces initially boarded and secured the tanker before transferring full control to the Coast Guard, which is now responsible for the vessel.
The officials confirmed that Russian military assets, including at least one submarine, were operating in the general vicinity at the time of the seizure. While it remains unclear how close Russian forces came to the U.S. operation, there were no indications of direct confrontation or escalation between the two militaries.
Russia’s transport ministry later said it had lost all contact with the Marinera following the boarding by U.S. naval forces. Andrei Klishas, a senior lawmaker from Russia’s ruling United Russia party, denounced the seizure as “outright piracy,” according to comments carried by the state-run TASS news agency.
The incident adds to growing scrutiny of vessels linked to so-called “shadow fleets” — loosely regulated tankers used by sanctioned countries to move oil covertly. Last year, French Navy commandos detained a tanker suspected of operating for Russia’s shadow fleet off the western coast of France, highlighting Europe’s increasing role in monitoring such activity.
Uncertainty Over the Vessel’s Destination
U.S. officials said it was not yet clear where the Marinera would ultimately be taken, though sources indicated it would likely be escorted into British territorial waters. Britain’s Ministry of Defence declined to comment on the matter.
The seizure comes amid a dramatic escalation in U.S. actions against Venezuela. Just days earlier, U.S. special forces carried out a pre-dawn raid in Caracas that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was subsequently transferred to U.S. custody to face federal charges related to alleged drug trafficking. Venezuelan officials have condemned the operation as illegal and deadly.
Second Tanker Seized in Latin America
In a separate but related action on Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard also intercepted another tanker linked to Venezuelan oil exports in Latin American waters. U.S. Southern Command said the Panama-flagged supertanker M/T Sophia, which is already under U.S. sanctions, was stopped before dawn.
Southern Command described the vessel as a “stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker” and said it is now being escorted to the United States “for final disposition.” The interception was also first reported by Reuters.
Shipping data and industry sources indicate that the Sophia departed Venezuelan waters in early January as part of a group of tankers carrying Venezuelan crude to China while operating in “dark mode,” meaning its transponder was turned off to avoid detection.
Trump’s Focus on Venezuelan Oil
Senior Venezuelan officials have denounced Maduro’s capture as a kidnapping and accused the U.S. of attempting to seize control of the country’s vast oil resources, which are estimated to be the largest proven reserves in the world.
The Trump administration, however, has accused Venezuela of “stealing U.S. oil,” an apparent reference to the nationalization of the country’s energy sector over several decades.
Due to the U.S. blockade imposed since mid-December, Venezuela currently has millions of barrels of crude stranded on tankers and in storage facilities, unable to reach global markets. On Tuesday, Trump said Washington and Caracas had reached an agreement allowing up to $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude to be exported to the United States — a move that would divert supplies away from China while easing pressure on Venezuela’s oil production.
Such a deal would signal that Venezuelan authorities are responding to Trump’s demands that the country open its oil industry to U.S. companies or face further military and economic pressure. Trump has publicly stated that he wants interim President Delcy Rodríguez to grant the U.S. and private firms “total access” to Venezuela’s oil sector.
Since the U.S. imposed sweeping energy sanctions on Venezuela in 2019, traders and refiners have increasingly relied on shadow fleets — tankers that obscure their movements or are already sanctioned for transporting Iranian or Russian oil. Shipping analysts warn that these vessels remain highly vulnerable to U.S. enforcement actions, a risk underscored by this week’s seizures.
