By SUZANNE DOWNING
American forces on Wednesday seized a sanctioned oil tanker flying a Russian flag in the North Atlantic following a weeks-long pursuit that began after the vessel attempted to evade a US. blockade of Venezuela, US officials and military commands confirmed.
US European Command said the vessel, now identified as the Marinera and formerly known as the Bella 1, was seized pursuant to a warrant issued by a federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro across the Atlantic. The Marinera had sought to avoid interception by flying a Russian flag and also changing its name during its flight from the Caribbean, according to officials.
“The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro,” EUCOM said in a social-media post Wednesday, demonstrating that the US blockade on sanctioned and illicit oil shipments applies “anywhere in the world.”
The tanker’s dramatic journey began in late December when it attempted to slip through a partial US blockade of sanctioned tankers near Venezuela. After refusing boarding attempts by the US Coast Guard, the ship reversed course and headed north across international waters, at times flying a Russian flag and asserting a change of national registry. Russian naval vessels, including a submarine, were reported nearby as the chase unfolded. No direct confrontation with US forces was reported, as the Russian military ships just stood by watching.
In a pre-dawn action this morning, the Department of War, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, apprehended a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker without incident.
The interdicted vessel, M/T Sophia, was operating in international waters and… pic.twitter.com/JQm9gHprPk
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) January 7, 2026
Russian officials condemned the seizure as illegal, with Moscow’s transport ministry asserting that force cannot be used against a vessel lawfully registered under another state’s flag and calling the US action an act of “outright piracy.” Russia has demanded the protection and repatriation of the ship’s crew.
According to US officials, the Marinera was not carrying oil at the time of its seizure. US authorities have been intensifying enforcement against so-called “shadow fleet” tankers, which are networks of vessels that evade sanctions and maritime tracking while transporting Venezuelan, Russian, and Iranian crude.
In a related action Wednesday, U.S. Southern Command announced it apprehended the M/T Sophia, described as a “stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker operating in international waters in the Caribbean Sea.” The vessel, which US authorities say was engaged in illicit activities, was seized without incident and is being escorted for further legal proceedings, Southern Command said.
Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed the US position on sanctions enforcement on social media, writing that the United States “continues to enforce the blockade against all dark fleet vessels illegally transporting Venezuelan oil to finance illicit activity,” and reiterated that only lawful energy commerce “as determined by the U.S.” will be permitted.
The tanker seizures come amid a broader U.S. campaign to halt unauthorized oil exports from Venezuela, part of an expanded blockade first announced in December. This push follows the recent US capture of Venezuelan President and narco-trafficker Nicolás Maduro and his wife on charges related to alleged drug trafficking, an action that has further strained Washington’s relations with Caracas and Moscow.
The Marinera seizure marks a rare instance of US forces boarding and taking control of a Russian-flagged commercial vessel, amplifying scrutiny over maritime law, sanctions enforcement and geopolitical tensions in the Atlantic and Caribbean. International reactions are likely to unfold as the legal status of the detained ships and the geopolitical implications of the operations are debated in capitals around the world.
3 thoughts on “Video: US forces seize Russian-flagged oil tanker after long chase; second vessel captured in Caribbean”
Then why was the captain evading when it had no oil in it
That’s like a thief running away holding an empty money bag
That story reads like a comic
Pirates now in international waters. This is not what I voted for.
I looked at Big Data’s (Rich Baris) rolling poll numbers yesterday. They were brutal for midterms. We are gonna get shellacked. People voted for America First, not endless foreign adventures.
Sanctioning Russia in an attempt to alter their ability to fund a war with Ukraine has no effect without enforcement of the supply chain. Seize the rest of their fleet and add some “bite” to the sanctions.