US Forces Seize 2 Sanctioned Venezuela Oil Tankers at Sea/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ U.S. forces boarded and seized 2 Venezuela-linked, sanctioned oil tankers in the North Atlantic. The vessel had evaded an earlier attempt by the Coast Guard and was allegedly tied to Hezbollah. The operation comes days after the U.S. raid capturing Nicolás Maduro.
Venezuela Oil Tanker Seizure Quick Looks
- U.S. forces seized 2 sanctioned oil tankers in the North Atlantic
- The tanker is linked to Venezuela and allegedly Hezbollah-connected
- The vessel previously evaded a U.S. Coast Guard boarding attempt
- It was sanctioned in 2024 for smuggling operations
- Originally named Bella 1, later renamed Marinera under Russian flag
- U.S. military transferred control of the ship to law enforcement
- Surveillance aircraft tracked the vessel from the Caribbean to the Atlantic
- Its seizure follows the U.S. raid that captured Maduro in Caracas
- Operation is part of wider efforts to target sanctioned shipping
- Trump administration vows continued action against Venezuela-linked assets
US Forces Seize 2 Sanctioned Venezuela Oil Tankers at Sea
Deep Look
The U.S. has seized two sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela in back-to-back actions in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean, officials said Wednesday.
U.S. European Command announced the seizure of the merchant vessel Bella 1 for “violations of U.S. sanctions” in a social medial post. The U.S. had been pursuing the tanker since last month after it tried to evade a U.S. blockade on sanctioned oil vessels around Venezuela.
Then, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem revealed that U.S. forces also took control of the tanker Sophia in the Caribbean. Noem said in a social media post both ships were “either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it.”
The ship was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2024 for allegedly smuggling cargo for a company linked to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. The U.S. Coast Guard attempted to board it in the Caribbean in December as it headed for Venezuela. The ship refused boarding and headed across the Atlantic.
During this time, the Bella 1 was renamed Marinera and flagged to Russia, shipping databases show. The U.S. official also confirmed that the ship’s crew had painted a Russian flag on the side of the hull.
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.”
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.”
U.S. military forces have successfully boarded and seized a Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the North Atlantic Ocean after tracking it for weeks, a U.S. official confirmed Wednesday. The tanker, which had previously evaded an attempted U.S. Coast Guard boarding in the Caribbean, was captured and handed over to law enforcement for further action.
Speaking on condition of anonymity due to the classified nature of the operation, the U.S. official said the vessel was intercepted between Scotland and Iceland after a transatlantic chase. The boarding marks a significant escalation in maritime enforcement efforts tied to U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and associated networks.
The vessel, originally named Bella 1 and later reflagged as Marinera under Russian registry, had been under U.S. scrutiny since 2024. That year, it was sanctioned by the Treasury Department for smuggling cargo for a company allegedly tied to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The ship’s behavior raised red flags when it refused a Coast Guard boarding in December and changed course to avoid interdiction.
Tracking data from open-source maritime platforms showed the ship traveling northward in the North Atlantic before being intercepted. At various points during its voyage, U.S. military planes monitored the tanker, and on Tuesday, a Royal Air Force surveillance aircraft was also observed flying over the region where the ship was later seized.
This latest seizure comes just days after U.S. special forces conducted a high-profile raid in Caracas, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. That operation, which has been described as one of the most daring U.S. actions in Latin America in decades, sparked outrage in Caracas and prompted mass pro-Maduro demonstrations across Venezuela.
Following the Caracas raid, the Trump administration made clear that it intends to continue targeting assets connected to Venezuela’s sanctioned government. Officials suggested that maritime enforcement will be a major component of this effort, particularly as Venezuela seeks to move oil and resources in defiance of U.S. sanctions.
The Marinera’s reflagging under Russia — a close ally of the Maduro regime — further complicates the situation diplomatically. Russian officials have not yet publicly responded to the seizure, but analysts predict the move could heighten tensions between Washington and Moscow, particularly given Russia’s military and economic backing of Venezuela.
Analysts say that by seizing the tanker, the U.S. aims to send a message to international shippers and oil traders: attempting to circumvent sanctions will not go unnoticed. Maritime sanctions enforcement has become a growing focus under Operation Southern Spear, a U.S. initiative aimed at choking off illicit oil flows from Venezuela and other sanctioned nations.
While the exact nature of the cargo aboard the Marinera remains undisclosed, the vessel’s designation as sanctioned and linked to Hezbollah suggests U.S. authorities will conduct a thorough investigation into its contents, financial backers, and logistical networks.
This seizure underscores the growing reach of U.S. enforcement capabilities on the high seas, especially when linked to geopolitical flashpoints such as Venezuela. It also reflects an administration increasingly willing to use military assets for interdiction purposes tied to economic sanctions.
Whether this operation triggers further backlash from Venezuela, Hezbollah, or Russia remains to be seen. For now, the United States appears determined to tighten its grip on illicit maritime flows tied to hostile actors, and this high-profile capture is likely only the beginning of a broader campaign.
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