The vessel tanker Bella 1 at Singapore Strait, after U.S. officials say the U.S. Coast Guard pursued an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela, in this picture taken from social media on March 18, 2025. Hakon Rimmereid/via REUTERS
The United States has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker tied to Venezuelan crude exports after a pursuit that stretched across the Atlantic, as reported by Reuters. U.S. officials said the operation marks one of the most assertive enforcement actions yet under Washington’s renewed campaign to choke off Venezuela’s oil shipments and appears to be the first time in recent memory that a Russian-flagged commercial vessel has been taken by U.S. forces.
The tanker, now named Marinera and formerly known as Bella-1, was intercepted on Wednesday in the North Atlantic near Iceland. According to U.S. officials, the ship had previously slipped through a U.S. maritime blockade in the Caribbean and repeatedly refused boarding attempts by the U.S. Coast Guard. After weeks of tracking, American forces moved in to seize the vessel for violating U.S. sanctions linked to Venezuelan oil exports.
In a public statement, U.S. European Command said the operation was conducted under the authority of the Trump administration’s sanctions regime. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added that the blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil remains in force worldwide, signaling that geography offers no safe haven for ships attempting to evade restrictions.
Two U.S. officials told Reuters that Russian military assets were operating in the general vicinity at the time of the seizure, including a submarine. There were no indications of direct confrontation between U.S. and Russian forces, and officials emphasized that the operation concluded without incident. Russian state media later published images showing a helicopter near the tanker, but Moscow has not formally commented.
The seizure follows an increasingly aggressive U.S. posture toward Venezuela. In recent weeks, Washington has targeted what it describes as a “shadow fleet” of tankers used to move Venezuelan crude with transponders turned off or under flags of convenience. These vessels often reappear under new names and registrations after evading enforcement, a tactic shipping analysts say leaves them vulnerable to punitive action.
Separately on Wednesday, U.S. forces also intercepted a Panama-flagged tanker, the M Sophia, in Latin American waters. U.S. Southern Command described it as a stateless, sanctioned vessel carrying Venezuelan oil and said it is being escorted to the United States for final disposition.
The crackdown comes amid volatile political developments involving Venezuela, whose government has accused the United States of economic warfare and oil theft. President Donald Trump, however, has argued that strict enforcement is necessary to force Caracas to open its energy sector to U.S. companies. With millions of barrels of Venezuelan crude effectively stranded, the latest seizure underscores how far Washington is willing to go to enforce sanctions, even when it risks brushing up against Russia in international waters.
