The US has seized a Venezuela-linked oil tanker after a more than two-week pursuit across the Atlantic Ocean.
Points of attention
- The US Coast Guard has seized the Venezuelan-linked oil tanker Marinera, previously known as Bella-1, flying the Russian flag in an operation that could escalate tensions with Russia.
- Marinera is part of the shadow fleet that transports sanctioned oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, contributing to the US pressure campaign against Venezuela.
- The US military reported Russian military vessels, including a submarine, in the vicinity during the operation, highlighting the complex geopolitical dynamics at play.
US seizes fugitive tanker flying Russian flag
The operation, which could escalate tensions with Russia, began after the tanker, formerly known as Bella-1, broke through a US maritime "blockade" of sanctioned vessels and refused to allow US Coast Guard officials on board.
The operation is being conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. military, according to U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. They also noted that Russian military vessels, including a submarine, were in the area.
The tanker, now called the Marinera and flying the Russian flag, has become the latest vessel targeted by the US Coast Guard as part of a pressure campaign against Venezuela initiated by US President Donald Trump.
Separately, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted another Venezuelan-linked tanker in Latin American waters as part of further enforcing a maritime "blockade" of sanctioned Venezuelan vessels.
The US Coast Guard has been escorting an oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean for about two weeks, keeping a distance of about 800 meters. The military reported that special forces were ready to seize the vessel by force, but the operation required authorization from the White House.
On December 31, an attempt to seize the sanctioned tanker Bella 1 was stopped after the Russian flag appeared on the vessel.
According to the Russian Maritime Registry, the vessel, formerly known as Bella 1, re-registered as Marinera, is flying the Russian flag and home port is Sochi. At the beginning of the prosecution, the US considered the tanker to be a false flag vessel subject to a court order for arrest.
At the same time, the Russian authorities, in a diplomatic note, asked the United States to stop pursuing the tanker in the Atlantic Ocean.
The tanker, owned by a Turkish company, is under US sanctions for transporting Iranian oil for terrorist organizations. It is also part of the so-called "shadow fleet" that transports sanctioned oil from Russia, Iran and Venezuela.
