The United States has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker connected to Venezuela following a weeks-long chase across the Atlantic, according to officials.
The vessel, formerly known as Bella 1 and later renamed Marinera, was taken under a federal court warrant over allegations that it transported oil in breach of U.S. sanctions. Authorities said the tanker was part of efforts to evade restrictions on shipments linked to Venezuela.
U.S. agencies, including the Coast Guard and military units, tracked the ship for more than two weeks after an initial attempt to intercept it near Venezuelan waters failed. During the pursuit, the crew reportedly painted a Russian flag on the hull and re-registered the ship under Russian authority in a bid to avoid seizure. Despite this, U.S. officials classified the tanker as “stateless” and liable to confiscation.
The operation culminated in the North Atlantic, where surveillance aircraft monitored the Marinera as it sailed between Ireland and Iceland before U.S. forces boarded and seized it under the court order.
The tanker has been under U.S. Treasury sanctions since 2024 for allegedly being part of a “shadow fleet” used to move crude linked to sanctioned activities. The seizure highlights Washington’s intensified campaign against sanction-evasion networks involving Venezuelan oil.