U.S. authorities have seized two oil tankers accused of violating American sanctions on Venezuela, including one vessel flying a Russian flag, in a rare and escalatory maritime enforcement action, officials said Wednesday.
One of the ships, previously identified as M/V Bella 1, was taken into U.S. custody in the North Atlantic after a federal court issued a warrant authorizing its seizure.
The operation was carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard, with support from the U.S. military, following weeks of tracking across the Atlantic Ocean.
According to U.S. European Command (USEUCOM), the Coast Guard cutter USCGC Munro, a sixth Legend-class cutter homeported in Alameda, California, monitored the tanker’s movements prior to the seizure.
The Bella 1 had earlier evaded interception efforts in Caribbean waters and refused to allow boarding.
During that period, U.S. officials say the ship changed its name to “Marinera” and reflagged from Guyana to Russia, receiving permission to fly the Russian flag on Dec. 24.
Russia’s transportation ministry later confirmed that U.S. forces boarded the vessel around 3 p.m. Moscow time, after which “contact with it was lost,” and protested the seizure, stating that “no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states.”
The Department of Homeland Security said the Bella 1 is linked to efforts to transport Venezuelan crude oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the operation was part of two coordinated predawn actions in which the Coast Guard boarded and seized two so-called “ghost fleet” tankers—the Bella 1 in the North Atlantic and a second vessel, the Motor Tanker Sophia, in international waters near the Caribbean.
USEUCOM said the seizure of the Bella 1 was conducted in coordination with the Department of Justice and DHS, and pursuant to a federal court warrant for violations of U.S. sanctions law.
The actions mark the third and fourth Venezuela-linked tanker seizures by the U.S. in the past month, reflecting an intensified enforcement campaign.
U.S. officials acknowledged that Russian naval assets, including a submarine, were present in the broader region during the Bella 1’s transit, though there were no reports of direct confrontation or interference during the seizure.
The seizures come amid a broader escalation in U.S. actions against Venezuela.
President Trump last month ordered a global blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said this week that the blockade “remains in full effect — anywhere in the world.”
U.S. authorities have not released details about the tankers’ crews or final destinations. Both vessels are now under American control pending further legal proceedings.
