The United States has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuelan oil exports following a pursuit that lasted several weeks.
U.S. officials said the tanker—now called Marinera and previously known as Bella-1—was intercepted on Wednesday near Iceland. The vessel had earlier evaded U.S. maritime controls in the Caribbean and refused multiple boarding attempts by the U.S. Coast Guard.
According to U.S. military officials, the operation was carried out jointly by the Coast Guard and the U.S. military. Russian naval units, including a submarine, were operating in the wider area at the time, though officials said there was no direct confrontation.
In a post on X, U.S. European Command said the tanker was seized for violating U.S. sanctions. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the administration’s blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil “remains in full effect—anywhere in the world.”
Russia sharply criticised the seizure. The country’s transport ministry accused the United States of violating international law, arguing that freedom of navigation had been breached.
“Under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies on the high seas, and no state has the right to use force against vessels lawfully registered under another state’s jurisdiction,” the ministry said.
The ministry added that the vessel had received “temporary permission” to sail under the Russian flag on December 24, after changing its name from Bella-1 to Marinera. It said contact with the ship was lost after U.S. naval forces boarded it in international waters, outside the territorial jurisdiction of any state.
On the same day, U.S. forces reported a separate seizure in the Caribbean. U.S. Southern Command said American personnel had intercepted a “stateless, sanctioned dark-fleet tanker” operating in international waters. The vessel, identified as M/T Sophia, was seized without incident, the command said.
Britain later confirmed it had provided “enabling support” to the United States during the North Atlantic operation.
