Post by : Bianca
Haleem
The United States has confiscated a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic after monitoring it for more than two weeks, US officials said on Wednesday, as part of efforts to enforce sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports.
The tanker, now called Marinera and formerly known as Bella-1, was seized near Iceland. It had previously evaded a US maritime blockade in the Caribbean and ignored attempts by the US Coast Guard to board it. Officials believe this marks the first time in years that the US military has seized a Russian-flagged vessel.
US European Command said the ship was detained for breaching US sanctions on Venezuelan oil. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington’s blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments is being enforced globally.
The operation was carried out jointly by the US Coast Guard and the US military. Special forces initially secured the vessel before transferring control to the Coast Guard.
Although Russian naval assets, including a submarine, were reported nearby, US officials said there was no direct encounter. Russia’s transport ministry said it lost contact with the tanker after US forces boarded it, while a senior Russian lawmaker condemned the seizure as “outright piracy.”
Sources indicated the tanker may be heading toward British waters, though the UK Ministry of Defence declined to comment.
In a separate incident, the US Coast Guard intercepted another tanker linked to Venezuela, the Panama-flagged M Sophia, in Latin American waters. Described as part of a sanctioned “dark fleet,” the vessel was escorting Venezuelan oil and is now being taken to the United States.
The actions reflect heightened US pressure on Venezuela’s oil trade. Since sanctions were imposed in 2019, Venezuela has relied on a shadow fleet of tankers that conceal their movements to export oil, largely to China. US officials say such vessels remain vulnerable as Washington intensifies enforcement.
Jan. 9, 2026
6:33 p.m.
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