The United States has recently taken control of two oil tankers linked to Venezuela, following sanctions. These operations occurred consecutively in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean, according to official statements on Wednesday.
In a social media announcement, the U.S. European Command confirmed the capture of the tanker Bella 1 due to “violations of U.S. sanctions.” The vessel had been under U.S. surveillance since attempting to bypass a blockade targeting sanctioned oil shipments connected to Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem shared that U.S. forces also seized the tanker Sophia in the Caribbean. In her social media post, Noem noted that both ships had either recently departed from Venezuela or were on their way there.
An anonymous U.S. official informed The Associated Press that after the military took control of Bella 1, the vessel was transferred to law enforcement authorities. The official chose to remain unnamed due to the sensitive nature of the military operations involved.
The U.S. had placed sanctions on Bella 1 in 2024, alleging it was involved in smuggling operations for a firm associated with Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based militant group supported by Iran. The U.S. Coast Guard attempted to board the ship in the Caribbean as it made its way to Venezuela, but the vessel evaded the boarding attempt and continued across the Atlantic.
During this period, records from shipping databases revealed that Bella 1 was rebranded as Marinera and registered under a Russian flag. The U.S. official also confirmed that the crew had painted a Russian flag on the ship’s hull.
Earlier Wednesday, open-source maritime tracking sites showed its position as between Scotland and Iceland, traveling north. The U.S. official also confirmed the ship was in the North Atlantic.
U.S. military planes have flown over the vessel, and on Tuesday a Royal Air Force surveillance plane was shown on flight-tracking sites flying over the same area.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said before the seizure that it was “following with concern the anomalous situation that has developed around the Russian oil tanker Marinera.”
The ministry’s statement, which was carried by the official Tass news agency, added that “for several days now, a U.S. Coast Guard ship has been following the Marinera, even though our vessel is approximately 4,000 km from the American coast.”
In a post to social media, U.S. European Command confirmed that the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro tracked the ship ahead of its seizure “pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court.”
The military command went on to say that the seizure supported President Donald Trump’s proclamation on targeting sanctioned vessels that “threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere.” The tanker’s seizure comes just days after U.S. military forces conducted a surprise nighttime raid on Venezuela’s capital of Caracas and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
In the wake of this raid, officials in Trump’s Republican administration have said that they intended to continue to seize sanctioned vessels connected to the country.
“We are enforcing American laws with regards to oil sanctions,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on NBC on Sunday. “We go to court. We get a warrant. We seize those boats with oil. And that will continue.”
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