The United States has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela following a weeks-long pursuit across the Atlantic, according to officials.
The vessel, first named *Bella 1* and later renamed *Marinera*, was seized under a federal court warrant over allegations that it transported oil in breach of US sanctions. Authorities say the tanker was involved in efforts to evade a US blockade targeting sanction-busting shipments connected to Venezuela.
US forces, 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 vessel under Russian authority in a bid to claim protection. Despite this, US officials classified the tanker as “stateless” and therefore subject to seizure.
The operation culminated in the North Atlantic, where the *Marinera* was monitored by US surveillance aircraft as it travelled between Ireland and Iceland before being intercepted. US forces later boarded the tanker under the federal seizure order.
The vessel has been under US Treasury sanctions since 2024 for its alleged role in a so-called “shadow fleet” used to transport crude oil linked to sanctioned activities. Its seizure forms part of broader US efforts to disrupt sanctions-evasion networks tied to Venezuelan oil.
